A DERELICT site in the heart of a Blackburn estate is set to become a wildlife meadow for the community.

For the best part of a decade, around 50 flats in two-storey blocks lined North Road, in the Queen's Park area, often empty and subject to vandalism.

When Twin Valley Homes, which owns 10,000 ex-council houses in the borough, took over in 2001, it pledged to remove unpopular houses, like those on North Road.

They were demolished earlier this year and since then the land has remained untouched -- until this week!

Now work has begun on creating a meadow on the land. Twin Valley is working with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust to create the meadow by sowing wildflower seeds and planting hundreds of trees to offer a haven for birds, insects and other wildlife.

Twin Valley is funding the project while volunteers are providing the manpower.

The sowing takes place now, but the tress will not be planted until January next year.

More than three tons of logs and 20 tons of shredded greenery, saved from Twin Valley Homes' hedge-cutting project, are being used on the site.

Once completed, it will be 'low maintenance,' growing wild.

Phil Richards, chief executive of Twin Valley Homes, said: "We had no immediate plans for the site, so creating a meadow here offers an environmentally friendly solution to the use of the cleared site with a spectacular view over Blackburn."

Twin Valley pledged to pull down around 2,000 unpopular homes when it took over the stock.

Although it has no immediate plans for land it frees up by demolishing homes, it is working with other housing associations to establish what new houses need building in the area.

While flats and bedsits have become less popular, houses with four or five bedrooms are in short supply.

Mr Richards added: "At the same time, we are investing millions in improving the homes which people are living in and taking steps to reduce vacancy levels in homes which we believe can be filled.

"Removing these homes can improve communities instantly because in many cases they are boarded up, empty and not very appealing."