POLITICIANS and residents are looking to the future today after 162 homes were saved from demolition.

The homes in the Whitefield area of Nelson were rescued from compulsory clearance by a report from the Deputy Prime Minister on Wednesday.

The houses had been at the centre of two public inquiries and residents and English Heritage fought a three-year battle to save them.

During that time many residents moved out of the area and the council now owns about 100 boarded up properties there.

Sylvia Wilson, a spokesman for the residents' action group which fought the council, said: "We want to see people back in these houses.

"The monies for Pathfinder, also known as Elevate, will go a long way to help rebuild our community.

"It is not, and never will be, enough to help those people that have been displaced or shunted to a different area and have no backup system to help them out.

"But we will get on with the task now with the support of all our partners who have helped us through these trying times."

Council leader Coun Alan Davies said: "We need to look at the long term future of the area and we will be working with partners.

"Three years ago we could not have dreamed of having resources like Elevate in this area.

"I cannot say what the future will be because we are starting from a totally blank piece of paper."

Pendle MP Gordon Prentice, who supported the council in its attempt to demolish the homes, said: "The state of housing in Pendle and Burnley is nothing short of a national disgrace and English Heritage, who fought to retain these properties, have to start putting their money where their mouth is.

"There is so much housing in Pendle and Burnley that needs to be knocked down. It was thrown up 100 years ago for mill workers to live in it's cramped and often damp and people don't want to live like that today.

"I expect the Elevate programme to make a real difference because if it doesn't people will have every reason to be angry."

Elevate chairman David Taylor said: "We will work in partnership with English Heritage and see community consultation as an integral part of developing a solution for housing in East Lancashire."