KEIGHLEY residents are taking to Twitter to praise the revamp of an iconic local mill.

They have tweeted their views about the multi-million pound restoration of historic Dalton Mills.

A photograph of the sandblasted new frontage of the 137-year-old mill complex attracted a host of positive comments.

One user said the Genappe Mill building, which fronts on to Dalton Lane, was “coming on brilliantly with the stonewashed walls”.

Another said it was good to see “such an iconic building in the town, looking good again”.

The Twitter storm was instigated by Jim Lyons, whose accountancy business is based at the mill complex, when he posted the original photo.

He said he was looking for interesting items to tweet about during his week ‘curating’ the popular Twitter feed @keighleypeople.

Mr Lyons said: “The building looks nice. It’s interesting to watch the development of the property, with units becoming filled and more people coming in.

“It’s a community down here, with all the different units.”

The trending on Twitter followed a visit to Dalton Mills last month by Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls to see many of the thriving businesses based in the complex, and tour adjoining buildings that are due for renovation.

The current refurbishment of Genappe Mill will free up around 80,000 sq ft of commercial space which suitable for a wide range of uses including offices, retail, leisure or heritage facilities.

The Dalton Mills buildings, whose listed status was recently upgraded from Grade II to Grade II*, were in a state of disrepair when they was bought last year by Paul Harris of Bellissimo Investments.

In 2010, Dalton Mills had been badly damaged by a fire which swept through a large section of the 200,000 sq ft site on New Year’s Eve.

The roof was the most pressing issue for Mr Harris, and a team of local roofers has been working on-site for the past few weeks.

Mr Harris said: “It’s gratifying to get such positive feedback about the progress we’re making.

“The portion of the mill that we are working on faces on to a main road so people can see the way that the building’s changing, and after it’s looked derelict for so many years I think it is a welcome boost for the town.

“We’re looking forward to being able to satisfy some of the enquiries for space that we’ve received, once more space becomes available next year.”

Next month, Dalton Mills will play host to a Master Craftsmen course teaching new