PLANS to let homeless youngsters live in empty terrace houses have been abandoned after neigh-bours' protests.

Councillors are now considering allowing several residents' groups to lease the rundown houses in Acc-rington so that they can chose who moves into their community.

Residents in west Acc-rington and Woodnook mounted a protest after discovering plans to turn 12 houses into supported accommodation for under 25s and protested at the cabinet meeting where the Hyndburn councillors decided if the scheme should progress.

The homes are owned by the council through the Government-funded Elevate housing regeneration scheme.

Proposals included leasing the properties to YMCA Blackburn, which would renovate them then lease them out for six months at a time to young people coming out of care, released young offenders and other people recently made homeless.

Joan Pilkington, of West Accrington Residents' Assoc-iation, said: "These streets already have problems with crime and drugs. It is not a good idea to bring vulnerable people into this situation or to put more pressure on existing residents by allowing people to move in who could make the problems so much worse."

Roy Hyland, of Woodnook Residents' Association, added: "We don't have a problem with the fact that they are homeless. But instead of putting them into single buildings up and down Hyndburn why don't they build one specialist centre where they can be given supervision and guidance?

"They deserve a start, but they can't be helped in an area already struggling to come into the 21st century."

Councillors decided to drop the matter from the agenda of the meeting and scrap any further discussions about it.

Council leader Peter Britcliffe said: "We have decided the scheme isn't suitable for Hyndburn. It has been withdrawn."

Speaking after the meeting, Coun Tony Dobson, regen-eration portfolio, said: "I assure residents this scheme would never have gone ahead without their approval."

"The area does need redeveloping and these boarded up houses do create a nuisance for those who live near to them. We are now looking at leasing the houses out to the resident associations.

"They can do them up and then lease them out to who they want and use the rent money to pay back any debts from the refurbishment."