A COMMUNITY trust has vowed to regenerate an area of a town by building affordable homes and create a community garden.

The Bradley Big Local Community Land Trust plans to build four three-bedroom semi detached houses on land at Beech Street, near Leeds Road in Nelson.

An agreement with Pendle Council in principle will see the transfer of the land to the trust once full designs and specifications have been drawn up.

The trust also aims to redevelop the former Kingdom Hall site in Scotland Road, Nelson into a community garden.

Chairman of the trust board, Waqas Arshad, said: "Our feasibility study gives us the reassurance we need that our plans for new homes and a community garden will be achievable.

"All directors have a commitment to making Bradley Big Local Community Land Trust a permanent fixture in the area.

"We can't wait until work starts on the new homes as this will be our first, visible step towards making Bradley a place to call home."

The Bradley ward in Nelson was selected as a 'big lottery' area in 2012 with residents and stakeholders forming the Bradley Big Local Partnership, tasked with investing more than £1million of funding into the area.

Within a trust report, Mr Arshad said: "Whatever the chosen design looks like, it needs to be viable, low cost to run, sustainable, have longevity and engage with the community.

"The site needs to inspire people, through art, materials, message or its use, the end product should be something that the local residents are proud to be associated with.

"The site will be landscaped to provide a community garden for the community to visit.

"Planter boxes could provide an area to grow seasonal vegetables and herbs, where the community could help to look after the crops and learn how to grow things from scratch.

"The area could have seating for people to sit and watch the world go by, with views onto the canal and the passing traffic of people and vehicles along Scotland Road."

The trust recently appointed four new directors from the town.

Cath Jackson, who runs Cath's Cafe on Leeds Road, Marcus Whitaker, who works as a freelance sound engineer, Rafida Khaliq, who has worked with the Bradley After School Education Support group and Nelson town councillor John Richardson.

Mr Arshad added: "The Partnership adopted the aim of investing in projects which would leave a lasting legacy for the people of Bradley.

"The Trust plans to become a key vehicle for investment within the diverse communities of Bradley."