SOLAR panels have been put on a converted mill in Linthwaite.

The panels have been fitted at Titanic Mill, which is being turned into flats by developer Lowry Renaissance.

Facilities are to be powered by a combination of green energy sources - including the 400 square metres of solar panels on the roof of the Grade II listed mill.

The panels are photovoltaic, which means they convert light directly into electricity.

They were paid for with Government grants.

Other green power systems in Titanic Mill will include a combined heat and power unit (CHP).

It will drive a generator and feed electricity directly into the National Grid, which will sell it back to the flats' owners at a reduced cost.

The CHP unit will run on sustainable, locally-farmed tree chippings, which means the carbon dioxide released when the wood is burned is balanced out by carbon dioxide the plants use while they are growing.

This will mean the flats are rated as carbon dioxide neutral.

The heat from the CHP unit's cooling system will dry the wood chips before they are burned and heat from the unit's exhaust will heat water for the complex.

The roof and walls will be highly insulated and the 350 large windows will have special energy-saving thermal double glazing.

The flats will also have a hi-tech system devised by electronics company Siemens.

The system features remote controls to open and shut blinds and curtains, piped music and a security system which mimics the occupant's usual routine of switching on lights and opening and closing curtains while the person is away.

Each room will have individual temperature control switches and a master switch to control lighting for the whole flat.

The development is set to finish in 2008.

However, the first flats will be occupied this summerand it is thought the development will create 40 jobs.

The mill was named after the ill-fated luxury liner Titanic, as it was completed in 1912 - the same year as the ship.

The conversion will continue the Titanic theme, with the 130 flats being named after other famous shops from the White Star shipping line.

The one and two bedroomed flats will cost between £133,295 and £256,650 each.

There will also be a 160-seater restaurant, a 16-bedroomed hotel, a swimming pool, spa, sauna, steam room and a beauty therapy suite.