Homes plan for historic mill site
ADEVELOPER plans to build up to 47 homes on the site of a landmark 19th century mill in Rochdale.
A planning application has been submitted to demolish the buildings at Dexine’s Spotland New Mill and create 47 dwellings on the site on Spotland Road.
Developer Hallmark Developments says the development has been ‘sensitively designed’ and would improve the appearance of the site and generate new jobs.
However an objection has been lodged by Benfield Electric Group, based on Mellor Street, close to the proposed development, due to concerns over increased traffic.
Hallmark Developments’ scheme sets out a plan to create eight threebed semi-detached homes, one detached, three-bed home, 22 threebed townhouses and 16 four-bed, semi-detached houses on the 1.63-hectare site.
The mill itself, constructed as a woollen mill in the 1870s, would be demolished, while the two steel framed industrial buildings would be kept.
Planning permission was already granted in October last year to halve the height of the 130ft tall mill chimney, which had towered over the Spotland Bridge since the 1870s.
Hallmark Developments was then given permission in February this year to take the chimney down to just 0.5 metres tall, work which has been largely completed.
Now the developer has also applied for the remained of the work, to turn the site into a 47-home community.
Hallmark Developments said: “The improvements to the conservation area are considered to clearly and demonstrably outweigh any harm attributable to the loss of Spotland Mill.”
It added that ‘the refurbishment would assist in generating jobs in this inner area of Rochdale’ and ‘overall the appearance of the site would be vastly improved by its redevelopment, as its state of dereliction has clear detrimental effects on the conservation area’.
However Benfield Electric Group objected: “As a company working on Mellor Street off Spotland Road, my concerns are the amount of additional traffic this will create.
“Due to the layout at the bottom of Spotland Road, with two roundabouts, it’s already difficult to turn on A developer wants to demolish buildings at Dexine’s Spotland New Mill and create 47 dwellings on the site at Spotland Road to Spotland Road and this is just going to cause more chaos.”
The application is open for consultation and is set to be decided by December 28