A PROPERTY investor and developer has pledged more than £1 million to further the growth of Darwen and Accrington.

Stewardson Developments is sourcing commercial and residential properties previously deemed ‘unmortgageable’ or uninhabitable, in a bid to attract new tenants to the area.

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The business, which is run by brothers Mark and Phil Stewardson, has won awards for regenerating areas of the Midlands where they grew up, and their latest venture has already secured the support of Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry.

Work is currently under way at the first of the properties, located in Blackburn Road, Darwen Phil, 50, who runs the company with Mark, 47, said: “Our strategy of buying uninhabitable properties and renovating them before renting them out to reliable tenants has proved extremely successful in the Midlands and it’s a model we believe can be successfully adopted here in Darwen and the surrounding towns.

where there is clearly a renaissance taking place that we hope to add to.

“Our ultimate aim is to bring back to life some of Lancashire’s commercial buildings and redevelop or repurpose them as mixed-use developments.”

By doing so, we hope to attract some great tenants which is all part of the regeneration process.”

Stewardsons will be working with sales and letting agent Ainsworth-Lord Estates, who will be managing the local portfolio as well as seeking out potential opportunities.

in the future.

Mark said: “We are delighted to link up with Ainsworth-Lord Estates who share our business ethos and like us are a rapidly expanding family business.

“Ainsworth-Lord Estates are well-respected and understand investors’ requirements. We are confident they will manage our investments perfectly.”

Paul Ainsworth-Lord, from Ainsworth-Lord Estates, said: “We are thrilled Stewardsons have chosen us to represent them in this area and it is a wonderful endorsement for our team, whom we are constantly told are amongst the best in the industry.

“We have introduced a steady stream of investors to the north west region and we are confident we can grow this further.”

“Bringing investors into our area is a win-win for all parties, the money invested brings derelict property back to life, creating quality homes and workspaces for all our families locally.

“It’s also great to see companies like Stewardsons putting their money into our community instead of the constant trail of investment going down to London.”

Jake Berry, MP for Rossendale and Darwen, said: “I’m delighted that another big company is looking to invest in our town. This is fantastic news for Darwen.”