HOMES at the heart of a multi-million pound regeneration project in Accrington opened their doors to the public on Saturday.

Two showrooms in the Woodnook area, which is undergoing a £15million facelift, will be open from 11am to 4pm.

Number 11 Hudson Street and number 33 Augusta Street, a three-bedroom and two-bedroom home respectively, will be shown off by empty homes developer PlaceFirst, Together Housing Group, and Hyndburn Council.

The project will bring more than 150 empty properties back into use as fair value, energy efficient homes.

Managing director of PlaceFirst, David Smith-Milne, said: “The new show homes at Woodnook have been finished to a very high standard. “Bringing empty period properties back to life is a complex task, and each property has its own unique set of challenges.

“But we feel the end result speaks for itself - modern, spacious, energy efficient homes that blend the best of old and new and create a step change in the quality of privately rented housing.”

Phase two of the project got underway in March, where 60 more homes across the wider Woodnook area, including in Royds Street, will be refurbished. The area will also receive a number of environmental improvements, including a residents’ garden, facelift work to all properties in Nuttall Street, and the creation of a new public square.

Coun Miles Parkinson, leader of Hyndburn Council said: “This is one of the main regeneration projects leading on from the cutting of the funding for market housing renewal.

“This is pleasing and of course developments will move at a pace now. We will see a new Woodnook next year and will offer housing for first-timers that will be affordable with the latest energy-saving products to keep down prices.”