WORKS to give a £2.3million facelift to a block of high-rise flats in Blackburn are set to begin this month.

A refurbishment programme for Bowland House, Larkhill, is part of a wider scheme which will see the neighbouring Ribble House and Pendle House blocks demolished.

Former council tenants voted to transer ownership of their flats to Salford-based housing company Space.

The company, with backing from residents, has appointed Altrincham firm Bullock Construction to refurbish all 79 flats at a cost of £2.3million. They will also build new lifts, a laundry area and give communal areas a makeover.

Because half the flats in Bowland House are empty, residents will move into other flats while their own homes are refurbished. Once the work is finished they can move into their old flat or pick a new one in the block.

Space said Bowland House would be used for 'mature' tenants. Fewer than half the 240 properties in the three blocks are occupied at present.

Residents are choosing fixtures and fittings for the flats at a series of meetings, and are also having a say in how communal areas are decorated.

Donna Bowler, development iniatives officer for Space, said: "We want the refurbishment to be tenant-led because it is their homes. They're really concerned about the building, and it is a real team effort."