PENDLE Council has scored a hat-trick – winning its third award from the Royal Town Planning Institute.
It’s been commended for the quality of refurbished homes in Stanley Street, Nelson.
It’s part of a wider transformation of Whitefield over the past six years and has been made possible thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Homes and Communities Agency.
The homes have been imaginatively renovated to allow for modern living, but have retained their traditional 19th Century appearance on the outside.
The award recognises attention to design, quality of workmanship and community involvement.
Ten of the original homes have been knocked through to create five spacious four bedroomed homes, suitable for large families.
Coun. Tony Beckett, who leads on Housing Regeneration in Pendle, said: “It is brilliant to get national recognition for our latest work in Whitefield.
“Over the past six years, the area has been transformed.
“This fantastic work will complement our plans for a new school in Whitefield.”
Iftekhar Bokhari, Whitefield’s Senior Regeneration Officer, added: “The renovations have been sensitively carried out so the properties look like they did in the 1870s from the outside.
“But inside, the properties are ultra-modern, striking a perfect balance between design and function.
“They’ve proved very popular so far - 11 of the 13 homes have already sold.
“We just have two of the four bedroomed properties remaining.”
Pendle Council’s Townscape Heritage Initiative Manager, Paul Crowther, said: “Whitefield is one of the most historic parts of Nelson and this latest renovation follows previous successful work in Every Street and Albert Street.
“It was important for us and the Heritage Lottery, who funded it, to ensure the properties were sensitively restored, while suitable for modern living.
“And with most of them snapped up immediately, the project has proved a huge success.”
Neil Watson, Pendle Council’s Planning and Building Control Manager, added: “I’m delighted we’ve won an award for the third year running.
“But we couldn’t have won it without the hard work of our Regeneration Team and Liberata Property Services.
“It’s very much a team effort.”