A SCHEME of works is being planned which aims to improve living conditions on a run-down council estate.

A package costing £1.5 million has been put together for the Delph Lane estate, Blackburn, which includes renovating homes, demolition of flats and a housing association buying homes.

Flats and houses on the estate are difficult to let following problems with vandalism and burglary.

But council chiefs are determined to improve Delph Lane and recently evicted a family of trouble causers.

Housing chiefs on Blackburn with Darwen Council have drawn up the scheme which will be partly-funded with cash from sale of council houses.

Five properties will be sold off to the Ashiana Housing Association for renovation and the cash raised will be used to pay for other parts of the scheme. Around £60,000 will be raised which will be used to revamp houses on the estate.

The aim is to improve the look of the houses and the estate by replacing decaying brickwork and crumbling roofs.

The flats taken over by the housing association will be let off to people from ethnic minorities and refurbished to suit Asian families needs.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has a policy of providing homes for the town's Asian and ethnic minority population.

The unpopular deck access and maisonettes in Delph Lane will be demolished to make way for new homes built by Northern British housing Association.

These new homes will also be managed by the Ashiana Housing Association.

The improvement work is likely to take place over the next 12 months and more schemes in partnership with Ashiana are already being drawn up.

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