A NEW look for a deprived area has been unveiled by architects.

Developers R-Gen said refurb-ishment of the Whitefield area of Nelson will mean innovative use of space to give Victorian terrace houses a new lease of life.

There is a big emphasis on the environment, with many houses being fitted with wind turbines and solar panels, and a communal bins system which architects say will encourage recycling and help keep the area tidy.

The model, along with a display showing the progress and future plans for the area, was displayed at the New Palatine Club, Norfolk Street, on Thursday, and has been taken to community meetings.

R-Gen director Judy Noah said: "This is a result of a year's work since we were awarded the contract.

"The focus is on refurbishment rather than redevelopment, which means that although there will be a little demolition, everything will still look quite traditional.

"The end result will be three to five-bedroomed houses rather than the two and three-bedroomed ones which are predominant at the moment. It will be quite a novel approach."

She added that although the overall layout was now decided, there was more work to do in the planning stage to set out the street-level proposals. Residents have already seen a taster of what has been planned with the Adactus "tardis" devel-opment of a block of houses in Every Street, turning five smaller homes into two four-bedroomed properties and a one-bedroomed apartment.

Outline planning perm-ission for the redev-elopment will be submitted to Pendle Council within the next couple of days, and Ms Noah said she hoped the full application could be sent in during the next few months.

She added: "The people who've come to see it have all been very positive and they are really excited about the changes."