Mill may be demolished
BUILDINGS of historical significance will have to be demolished as part of a mill redevelopment following damage caused in high winds.
A huge section of roof at Springmount Mill, in Cheadle Heath, was blown off and crashed into a nearby house in gale force conditions in March.
Carpenter Investments already had planning permission to convert the site, which dates back to the early 1800s, into 175 new homes with some of the original buildings retained.
But the developer has submitted a new application to demolish the lot and rebuild in the same style as the damage has made the mill unsafe.
At a central area committee meeting Councillor Andy Sorton said: “There was always a commitment there to maintain as much as they could of the history of the building. There’s not a chance they could do that (now).”
The new application, which will be ruled on by the planning and highways committee, has attracted a letter of objection from nearby residents - taking the total to six.
Issues raised include car parking, traffic generation, noise and light pollution as well as an adverse effect on the water table.
Members recommended the planning application be approved.
Councillor Sheila Bailey said: “This site has been an unmitigated eyesore for many years. There must have been a compromise of the structure, the demolition is probably the only course of action open to the developer.
“The commitment to building in the existing style will mean the actual visual impact will be considerably mitigated.”
But the site’s past uses include a bleachworks, printworks and cotton mill which means some of it is considered historically significant. It is thought if the go-ahead is given construction would create 100 jobs.
One man was injured and needed hospital treatment when the roof blew of f then crashed into the top of a nearby house as he was in his bedroom on March 2.