Riverside cafe plan approved
HISTORIC MILLS SITE IS NOW HOME TO BUSINESSES
PLANS for a new cafe at a historic mills complex on the banks of Derby’s River Derwent have been given the go-ahead.
In the summer, plans were submitted to Derby City Council to create the new venture at Darley Abbey Mills, a historic mills complex dating back to the 18th century.
After standing empty for a number of years, many of the buildings have now been revamped and are home to a variety of businesses.
The mills were once renowned for cotton spinning and the new café will be called The Cotton Café, a nod to the site’s industrial past.
The cafe, which will create four fulltime and eight part-time jobs, will be at the northern boundary of the site called the “proto-fireproof building”, which is grade two-listed.
It will be in a building that was once home to another cafe called Platters at the Mill. That business closed in 2016 and the unit has since been vacant.
Granting permission, city council planners said: “In dealing with this application the city council has worked The Cotton Cafe will be in this Grade II-listed building with the applicant/agent in a positive and proactive manner and has secured appropriate and proportionate improvements to the scheme which relate to the internal layout of the café and details of the proposed interventions to the historic fabric.
“The proposed conversion would be an appropriate use in principle within the Darley Abbey Mills complex and bring a long term viable reuse and regeneration of the Grade II-listed mill buildings.
“The less than substantial harm to the heritage asset arising from the impacts on historic fabric are considered to be outweighed by the public benefits of the proposal.”
In the original planning documents put forward by Guy Taylor Associates, on behalf of the applicant Derby Patterns, it said: “The Cotton Cafe will become a practical addition to the Darley Abbey Mills site providing muchneeded catering facilities for the local businesses, residents and visitors.
“The cafe will offer a unique dining experience in the mills and near the river. It would contribute to the regeneration of Darley Mills by creating a site for leisure, dining and employment.”