A NEW housing development in Hyndburn has been chosen for a pilot scheme to make homes more environmentally friendly.

Half the houses being built by the developer Bett Homes off Lynwood Road and Yorkshire Street, Huncoat, are to be fitted with solar panels and a wind turbine.

The firm is to fit out the site's show-homes with everything from sources of clean energy to ways of collecting and recycling rain water - believed to be the first project of its scale in the North West.

Now Bett Homes is waiting for planning permission to be granted for a 15-metre high turbine, which could help power six or seven homes. The scheme will be discussed by Hyndburn Council's planning committee on Wednesday.

Today Bett Homes managing director Malcolm Ball revealed Huncoat was the perfect location for such a scheme - thanks to its wind and rain.

He said: "It's a fairly exposed area so we have the potential for relatively high wind speeds. We are also utilising rain water recycling."

About 200 homes are to be built at the Huncoat site, half by Bett Homes and half by Elite Homes. The Bett show homes should be finished in about two months.

The turbine, solar panels, a ground source heat pump to heat water and rainwater collectors will be installed into the show homes.

Buyers can then be shown the 'extras' they can choose to have installed in their homes. If the scheme is successful, it could be rolled out to other developments.

Some residents have objected to the plans and have written to the council to complain about the wind turbine, which could be sited 170 metres away from the nearest house, on Alder Grove and Birch Close.

But Mr Ball has reassured the residents that steps have been taken to minimise the effects.

He said: "We are aware, and wish to reassure people, that this isn't going to be a monster and we have been very careful to look at noise, television signals and telephone signals.

"We've looked at all sorts of issues to ensure there is no detriment to the locals who feel they may be affected."