A REFURBISHMENT programme costing £623,000 is to be carried out on council houses in the Ribble Valley.

The scheme includes new windows and doors at a cost of £170,000 and new kitchens costing £99,242.

And £51,000 has been set aside for the installation of central heating, with a further £61,000 for loft insulation and £90,000 for electrical repairs.

Ribble Valley Borough Council's housing committee agreed to the budget and to invite tenders for the external work contract from later this month until early April.

Tenders for the main repair and improvement contract will then be invited from late April until early May with work expected to begin at the end of June.

Houses earmarked for improvements include those in Chapel Lane, Meadowside and Pendle View in Grindleton; Brights Close in Newton; Grindleton Road in West Bradford; Crowtrees Gardens, Darkwood Crescent, Kempstone, Ribble Lane and Park Avenue in Chatburn; Sycamore Gardens in Gisburn; Pendle Terrace in Rimington; Alexander Road, Beacon Villas, Charles Grove, Derby Road, Park House, Queens Drive, Towneley Flat, Towneley House and Windsor Avenue in Longridge; Billington Gardens, Calder Avenue, Calder Place and Hodgefield in Billington; Ribchester Road in Dinckley; Hothersall Lane and Ribchester Road in Hothersall; and Fort Avenue and Parsonage Avenue in Ribchester.

Funding for the work was agreed by the housing committee in the form of £712,000 from a Major Repairs Allowance, a further £100,000 in home improvements funding, with £100,000 set aside for a major remodelling scheme at Towneley House in Longridge.

The work to adapt the building, would reduce the number of flats by ten.

But it would provide larger accommodation, including four two-bedroomed flats for couples; six one-bedroomed flats for couples; and 12 one-bedroomed flats for single people.

There would also be four bedsit flats and a one-person disabled flat. A consultation exercise will now be carried out among residents.

It will gauge their views on the proposed layouts and to obtain agreements in principle from existing tenants wishing to move into the new enlarged flats.

But director of commercial services John Heap said: "One of the most difficult aspects will be acquiring flats for residents to move into temporarily so the work can be carried out.

"It would be hard to give a definite start date for the work due to the unpredictably of when empty flats would become available."