Historic mill and its ‘eyesore’ neighbour could be transformed into massive new apartment and retail complex

Plans have been submitted to ‘breathe new life’ into a historic cotton mill in Middleton with almost 300 new apartments.

Warwick Mill has been vacant for a number of years and has been subject to continuous vandalism after being ravaged by a fire back in 2018. Under plans submitted by Kam Lei Fong (UK) Ltd, the Grade-II listed building off Oldham Road would be transformed into 135 apartments and up to 6,500 sq m of commercial ‘floorspace’ on the ground floor.

Just next door is London House, dubbed as ‘an eyesore’, which would be demolished and redeveloped as The Loom – providing another 146 new apartments.

London House is a 1960s office building of six storeys. There is a large area of vacant land behind the building that is currently used for surface car parking.

 

 

Overall, both buildings would provide 281 new apartments as well as retail and leisure facilities in the heart of Middleton town centre.

A new restaurant/cafe in the old Engine Room, a gym and a function room for weddings and conferences are also included in the plans for the mill. As part of the Loom development there are plans for retail spaces, with one reserved for a supermarket type usage.

Part-demolition of some floors of the mill, built in 1907, would be required in this redevelopment in order to make the site more comfortable and safe. Changes would be made to the roof and entrance in order to provide more light and ventilation and some walls, windows and the metal fire escape will be removed.

“Proposals will breathe new life into a Grade II Listed vacant mill and remove the eyesore of London House, and allow the site to fully contribute to the on-going regeneration of Middleton,” a planning statement said. “Warwick Mill is in a particularly poor state of repair and without considerable intervention and investment; there is a very real risk of the building’s deterioration accelerating which could result in total loss.

“The iconic mill will be refurbished and repurposed including a rooftop extension, with neighbouring land developed, to provide 281 new homes, commercial and retail spaces and open space.”

This proposal would form one part of the Middleton Town Centre Masterplan. The idea behind this masterplan is to boost the town by creating new housing and commercial space, improving connectivity across the area.

George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporting Service