The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced a grant of £746,000 to Islington Mill in Salford for urgent restoration works.

Islington Mill has raised a total of £2m of funding to restore access to all the buildings 6 floors and secure the artistic community that has emerged around the building thanks to Islington Mill Arts Club.

The Fund has been involved in 390 Mill projects and provided over £120m of funding since its creation in 1994.

Speaking at our Mills Development Conference, David Renwick, Director, England, North for The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “It was in a pretty poor state, although it was being well used by the Arts community. The group is going to do some restoration, improving access to the mill and improving the facilities for the community to use.” [emaillocker id=”71749″]

Another provider of grant funding to mills is the Architectural Heritage Fund, a charity that provides funds to building preservation trusts and social enterprises.

The fund is supporting Wellington Mills Community Interest Company, which is trying to convert Tondale Mill, the largest woollen mill in the South-West of England into a mixed-use development.

Leigh Spinners Mill is another such project, a Grade II* mill, built in 1913-23 and part of the last generation of Cotton Mills. An extensive site, Matthew McKeague, Chief Executive of the fund said: “This project definitely will require a staged approach to its development” with the newer parts of the mill having been converted into recreation facilities by Sports England in 2019.

Calderdale Council are looking for a development partner to help them redevelop Rawson’s Mill, a Grade II* listed mill near Dean Clough. Richard Seaman, Corporate Lead for Planning said: “The engines of prosperity study found that its greatest potential was probably in residential or Vista accommodation, but that the council has an open mind on what it becomes.”

The mill comes with 1.5ha of developable land, and has just been put on the market, which the council welcomed as the current owner had not been active on promoting redevelopment.

Homes England are one of the government bodies that have been eager to promote mill redevelopment, Peter MacLeod, Specialist Transaction Manager said: “I think it’s a really added bonus for us when we can get in involved in schemes like this.”

They have supported a number of mill related schemes, including the Horace Mills in Skipton, a mixed-used scheme with a 100 new build homes and redevelopment of the mills.

Also in Yorkshire, Conditioning House in Bradford is a stunning mill development being developed by Priestley Homes: “At height its height would test 70% of the wool in the country” according to Nathan Priestley, their Chief Executive.

Due to complete in Q4 2020, the redevelopment will deliver 133 apartment units, a cafe, gym and office space. Despite its £17m GVA and being the firm’s marquee development, Priestley admitted “we probably won’t make any profit”, due to the cost of removing asbestos and repairing timber and described it as a “labour of love.”

They are also developing two other major historical industrial buildings – Old Post Office in Warrington, a building they’re converting into a 21-room aparthotel as part of a £5.3m project and Green Lane Mill a 150 year old mill in Holmfirth into 11 luxury two-bed apartments.

Not every mill provides development opportunities, as the Peaks & Plains Housing Trust, a housing association found working in the Macclesfield area.

Mark Howden, Interim Chief Executive said: “We are competing with housebuilders who are creating 4-5 bedroom town houses for the people of Cheshire.”

They have demolished two unviable mills to deliver “much needed affordable homes” for the area.

They have unveiled the Crossings scheme, a revitalisation of Sunderland Street, using the site of a former Georgian Mill that was heavily destroyed by fire, and replacing it with 67 new apartment blocks, aimed at bringing young people back into the town centre.

Mills provide such an array of development opportunities and there are many different institutions that have played a role and can play a role in saving the surviving mills. That flexibility and open-mindedness is key to bringing them back into use across Britain’s post-industrial heartlands.[/emaillocker]