RESIDENTS will get their chance to look around part of a £15 million housing development in Accrington at the weekend.

The first ten families moved into the redeveloped Woodnook area late last year, and now number 11 Hudson Street is being opened up to prospective tenants from 10am until 2pm on Saturday. (11) It comes ahead of the release of more than 100 finished properties.

The developer, PlaceFirst's head of new business and renovation, Martin Ellerby, said: "The open day provides a great opportunity for families in the area to explore two great rental homes.

"The market response to date has been tremendous and customers are already reserving homes ahead of the second release in May."

PlaceFirst, in partnership with the council, is transforming empty Victorian terraced houses into energy efficient two, three, and four-bedroom family homes.

More than 70 homes will be completely reconfigured with new internal layouts, whilst 60 homes will be refurbished to the same specification albeit within the existing internal layout.

All of them will feature a range of energy efficiency measure that will help customers to reduce their energy bills.

Mr Ellerby said: "PlaceFirst are committed to improving the quality of private renting and, at Woodnook, we are setting a new benchmark for fair value private renting.

"But Woodnook is about more than just new homes, in partnership with Hyndburn Borough Council, we are delivering a range of improvements across the neighbourhood including property facelifts, environmental improvements, and a new public square in the heart of the neighbourhood."

The homes are being targeted at working families, and not those in receipt of benefits, according to the council's housing boss Cllr Clare Cleary.

She said: "It will be for people paying a private rent who can't get a mortgage. It's not a social housing scheme, it's for working couples and families.

"Woodnook is a bit unique because it's an area that deteriorated over the years. This was one of PlaceFirst's first schemes and it was a new foray into private housing but it would be fantastic if we could do this in Spring Hill and places of deprivation."

The first family to move into the new neighbourhood picked up their keys in December.

The Graboska family moved into Nuttall Street, at the heart of the regeneration project.

Originally from Poland, Kristoff and Magda Grabowska have lived in Accrington for over five years.

Along with their three children, they moved into their new home, and were presented with a hamper worth £50.