Flats plan for old mill

Jute warehouse could be converted into 39 homes

Transformative plans for the Burnside Mill in Lochee could bring “a new lease of life” to the building, bosses at Cupar firm AG Akermo & Sons claim.

Consent was given for a similar proposal in 2008, but was never acted upon before it expired.

The new plan would see 39 two and three-bedroom flats with combined kitchen/livingrooms created within the old mill. In addition, the property’s original features would be restored and retained as part of the construction, in a bid to preserve the building’s “gritty industrial feel”.

The developers are also keen to press on with the rejuvenation as soon as possible, due to the fragile condition of the Burnside Street mill.

A statement included with the planning application, prepared by Cupar firm G Paterson Architect Ltd, said: “It is believed that the regeneration of the building should take place as soon as possible, as the fabric is deteriorating.

“This would have huge benefits for the locality, as well as the existing historic building fabric itself.”

Originally constructed in the 1830s, Burnside Mill was a warehouse wing of the Camperdown Works, owned by the Cox Brothers and nicknamed “the world’s greatest jute works”. It had last been used as a sports centre.

Much of the building has been converted into residential units since its formal closure in 1981, and Cox’s Stack continues to loom over Lochee.

Lochee resident Myles McCallum said it was encouraging to see plans to bring the mill building back into use.

He said: “It has been lying empty for 15 or 20 years since the sports centre closed. It’s about time someone did something with it — we’d even considered putting in for a community asset transfer. It’s a cracking building.”

A FORMER jute warehouse, once part of the Camperdown Works, is set to be revamped as a block of new flats.

The former Burnside Mill in Lochee has been empty for decades but could be given a new lease of life as housing.