HUNDREDS of house hunters have signed up on the waiting list for luxury apartments being developed at a former convent in Crewe.

The historic building off Nantwich Road is Grade II listed and is being carefully preserved and converted by developers Morris Homes.

College Gate opened for sales in July and has since had more than 400 people register their interest in the new apartments.

Morris Homes' Beverley Hall said: ""We've had hundreds of enquiries and the waiting list for apartments is huge - in the first few days of opening, more than 200 people visited.

"People are keen to live here because it's a well-known local landmark and an attractive building, which was once used as a police training college.

"Most of our visitors already live in Crewe and have been waiting for the building to be developed.

"It has a range of attractive features, such as high ceilings and long windows and the exterior brickwork and little details are stunning.

"We'll be working with a range of specialists during the conversion to ensure we preserve the features that make the building so popular."

The Ursuline convent building will form a dramatic entrance to the College Gate development, which will include new townhouses and mews properties and three and four bedroom detached homes.

Beverley added: "It's not just the apartments we've had great interest in.

"We've had nine reservations on our townhouses so far and dozens of enquiries regarding our detached homes, which will be released later this year."

The conversion work is expected to start in 2006.