The council's cabinet member for housing has taken a trip to a Radcliffe site set to be transformed by a £4.5m development in Radcliffe.

Cllr Clare Cummins along to the former East Lancashire Paper Mill site into affordable homes to have a look at progress being made there.

The area is set to be transformed by Terra Nova, Great Places’ in-house construction company, into 27 affordable homes.

Work is expected to be completed in December next year.

Cllr Cummins was joined by Great Places’ executive director of growth, Helen Spencer, at the "island" part of the site between Cunliffe Street, Baybutt Street and Howard Street.

The new neighbourhood will be of a mix of one and two-bed apartments available for social rent and three and four-bed houses for affordable rent.

Delivered in partnership with the council and Homes England and designed by AEW Architects, the design will reflect the heritage of the mill and complement the existing houses in the surrounding area.

Plans also include the creation of two new areas of public open space and road improvement works to Cock Clod Street and Rectory Lane.

The development is part of a wider plan by Morris Homes, the council and Homes England to deliver up to 400 homes at the adjacent 22 acre brownfield site.

Helen Spencer, executive director of growth at Great Places said: “We’re delighted to have shown Cllr Cummins around the site that will transform this former brownfield site into 27 much-needed affordable homes.

“We are pleased that this site will bring much-needed affordable homes to Radcliffe whilst also providing high quality design ahead of the wider renewal plans coming forward for this wider site.

“We’re committed to building additional affordable homes in all of the areas we operate in, and we’re confident that this development will help to go some way to address the shortage of affordable housing in the area in what is set to be a thriving new neighbourhood close to Radcliffe town centre.”

Cllr Cummins, added: “This is an important part of our regeneration plans for Radcliffe, bringing affordable homes to a brownfield site.

“It’s essential that we have housing of all types in our borough in order to create thriving and inclusive communities where people are proud to live.”