PLANS to bulldoze houses in Pendle's rundown Whitefield ward and rebuild it with modern homes could price the community out of the area, a public inquiry was told.

An East Lancashire estate agent, giving evidence at the second hearing into Pendle Council's plans to purchase, and demolish, 62 properties in the Nelson ward, said the sums did not add up for residents.

David Briscoe, of HW Petty and Co chartered surveyors and estate agents, said a third of people living in Whitefield earned less than £9,000 a year. He told the hearing at Nelson Civic Hall the average price for a two-bedroom terraced house before Pendle Council made the compulsory purchase order was between £9,000 and £14,000 for a house in reasonable condition.

Mr Briscoe said if a repair and refurbishment scheme was carried out, similar to the one carried out in the neighbouring Southfield Street area, the price could rise to between £20,000 and £22,500 and more for the Macleod Street larger properties.

But he did not believe anyone in that part of Nelson would be able to afford to buy the houses the council was proposing to build.

He said: "It is difficult trying to picture who is going to take up those houses bearing in mind the price levels. If the local community are only on £9,000 a year, they would only be able to get a mortgage for about £30,000 and the cost of a three-bedroom house according to the council would be a minimum of £45,000.

"Also first-time buyers seem to go for greenfield site developments and I am not convinced they would buy in Whitefield.

"They are looking to move to the outskirts to more trendier areas such as Barrowford."

Mr Briscoe was asked to respond to questions from the Secretary of State about what effect the collapse of the local housing market, and high vacancy rate, would have on the various repair and clearance options on offer.

He said: "In the last two to three years, house sales in general have improved considerably and I consider that there would still be a market for properties within the order lands if the compulsory purchase order had not blighted the area."

The inquiry continues.