AN environmentally friendly building of the future is taking shape in Burnley.

With solar panels, super-efficient heating and special roof insulation, Morecambes Lodge, Cemetery Lane, will be one of the greenest buildings in the area.

The detached house is being converted into offices and training rooms for the horticultural charity Fresh Fields, which helps people with learning difficulties.

Site manager Peter Wilshaw, of forward-looking construction firm Greenbuilt, outlined some of the green features.

"The house will have solar-powered external lighting," he said. "The roof insulation is made out of recycled paper and the heating will use energy-efficient condensing boilers.

"Rooms will be lit using an ingenious device to reflect the sun's rays from the roof area and toilet waste will be neutralised and recycled using a natural reed-bed sewage system in the lodge grounds."

The conversion is being paid for by £39,000 from Burnley's urban regeneration Challenge Fund, and other money is coming from the European regional development fund and English Partnerships.

An open day this week gave members of the public a chance to see work in progress. Greenbuilt staff and national experts were on hand to explain environmentally friendly building practices.

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