BOLTON could become the Manhattan of the North with trendy new apartment blocks being snapped up at two major developments.

A wide variety of people, from yuppies to pensioners, have reserved flats at the Old School Rooms development in Great Moor Street and the Eagley Mills complex.

Money appears to be no object for Boltonians wanting to move into the modern apartments, with flats ranging in price from £75,500 for the one-bedroom flats in Eagley and between £58,000 and £70,000 upwards for one-bedroom flats in the town centre development.

Twenty of the 69 flats at the Eagley Mills development have already been reserved in the first two weeks following the former cotton mill's launch, including a penthouse sold to a mystery buyer priced at just under £200,000.

The dream apartments will be ready for people to move into next spring and among the first occupants will be young love birds John and Kate Grimshaw, who got engaged on the same day they reserved a flat back in March of this year and married a month ago.

John, who is a computer salesman, proposed to Kate on the bridge next to the flat complex and they immediately put down a deposit on their future love nest.

Sales executives at developers PJ Livesey are heralding the new development in Eagley, near Bromley Cross, as being the ultimate in apartment living in Bolton and the complex featured in the Sunday Times property section in October.

Valley Mill has 69 loft-style apartments including four penthouses with only three apartments of each type in order to keep an individual feel.

The five-floor building, which dates back to 1894, is part of a five acre development on a former mill and industrial site.

There are two other mills being converted, including Brook Mill, with its distinctive clock tower, which will have 72 apartments.

Sales and Marketing Director for the PJ Livesey Group, Paul Richardson, said: "The response has been staggering and clearly indicates a high demand for this type of housing in the area.

"Buyers do not have to travel to the city centre for their loft living space and with prices starting at £75,000 they won't have to pay Manchester prices either."

Trendy flats in Bolton town centre are also selling well, with eight of the 35 loft apartments having been reserved in the former municipal grammar school in Great Moor Street.

The flats, which will be completed by early next year, are a first for the town centre and likely to attract young professionals into an area where there are no other flats or houses.

Similar initiatives in cities, including Manchester and Leeds, have proved hugely popular and attracted businesses, bars and restaurants into previously rundown and neglected areas.

The old grammar school, which closed in the early 1970s, later became Bolton Institute's Art and Design department.

The Institute sold the red brick building two years ago as part of a £1.5 million revamp of college premises.

Irwell Valley Housing Association now owns the building which is currently covered in scaffolding and undergoing major refurbishment.

The development, which is called "The Old School Rooms", includes 12 different types of apartment with predominantly two bedroom flats ranging in price from £59,950 to £83,000.

Apartments will be sold on a shared ownership basis which allows people to part-buy and part-rent with the opportunity to buy the flats after at least 12 months.

Steven Carnes from the Knight Frank company, which is marketing the apartments, said: "The show apartment looks great and we are pleased with the way everything is going.

"A real mixture of people have been reserving the flats, from young single buyers right through to an elderly person who bought the very first flat."