First-time buyers in an Easy Lancashire town can soon bid to purchase a 'green' affordable suburban home.

Six energy-efficient, new-build properties will be available in Burnley’s Hargher Clough area in May under the government's rent-to-buy scheme.

Calico Homes is piloting the deal in Burnley with the aim of helping first-time buyers or renters to get a foot onto the property ladder after securing more than £3 million of Homes England funding.

The housing provider's Kinross Street development, costing a total of £9.5m, will see 61 new homes built in the Hargher Clough area of Burnley.

The properties will be a mix of two and three-bedroom houses, along with one three-bedroom bungalow and two one-bedroom bungalows.

Six of the three-bedroom properties now being completed will be available under the rent-to-buy scheme and have been ‘future-proofed’ with solar PV panels to provide electricity and electric vehicle charging points.

They will be available from May 30.

Wendy Malone, director of property at The Calico Group, said: “We’re excited to be offering a chance for potential buyers to take their first steps onto the property ladder.

“A huge part of our vision is to make our homes more sustainable and environmentally friendly, and we’re delighted with how the Kinross development aligns with this.”

The rent-to-buy houses will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis and customers must meet the criteria which has been set out by Homes England.

Preference will be given to those who have been living in Burnley for the past three years.

To meet the criteria, customers will have to prove they have the financial capability to buy the house five years after moving in.

Other requirements include: must be a first-time buyer, aged 18 and over, have a right to live in the UK, and the family size must be appropriate for a three-bedroom house.