Inside the 'shockingly brilliant' £32million Northlight Brierfield mill conversion

After eight years, the £32million ‘Northlight’ regeneration of a grade ll-listed mill, near Nelson, has been hailed a success.

Work on the joint Brierfield Mill venture began in 2016, with different buildings renovated over time. The huge old cotton mill dates from 1832.

It later became a base for Smith & Nephews fabric manufacturing. But it also faced periods of dereliction and arson attack fears. Pendle Council entered a joint venture with public and private funds.

Over £22million came from private investment and over £9million from other sources. Investment included £1.5million from Pendle Council using a grant from the Homes England agency, over £2million each from Burnley FC In the Community and Lancashire County Council, and nearly £5million from Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). Support also came from the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and Lancashire County Council.

The redeveloped Brierfield Mill site, now called Northfield, is described as the flagship of the PEARL joint venture between Pendle Council and Barnfield Construction. The council has a number of joint ventures across the borough.

Coun Asjad Mahmood, Pendle Council leader, left, on a bumper car at FUNDA Land

Northlight is now home to new apartments, businesses, offices, industrial and storage space, Burnley FC in the Community’s sports and leisure facilities, an indoor children’s play site, arts and culture spaces, and adult education. There is also a a coffee shop, bar and events facility.

At a guided tour to mark the completion, Tim Webber MBE, chairman of Barnfield Construction and a PEARL board member, recalled different phases. These included a national masterplan competition in 2013 with David Morley Associates. That evolved in 2016 with architects at Liberata and Urban Green.

Mr Webber said: “It has been a very long journey. But it’s important for a grade II-listed building to receive great care. We had to break the work down into manageable sections. “

Coun Asjad Mahmood, Pendle Council leader, in a laser game zone at FUNDA Land

He said Liberata architects as the first project managers made an important decision to engage with Nelson & Colne College and Lancashire County Council to bring Lancashire Adult Learning there. “That was the anchor that got us going and we created a vibrant head office.”

Then came Burnley FC In The Community, with sports and leisure facilities. Further development came with FUNDA, led by Kieran Fletcher. FUNDA Land has children’s play areas, bumper cars, laser games, a cafe and children’s entertainment. Between 6,000 and 7,000 children typically visit Northlight each week for sports, leisure and play activities, with schools and their own families, it is estimated.

Northlight Pendle development – formerly called Brierfield Mill, in Brierfield near Nelson

Mr Webber added: “This is a hot-spot for family entertainment across Lancashire. It has exemplar facilities.”

Take-up of business office space has been strong, along with new apartments sales, he said. Businesses there include architects Campbell Driver Partnership.

The In-Situ organisation has space for visiting artists and cultural projects. And Padiham-based Gawthorpe Textiles Collection has moved part its collection there. Its 30,000-item collection was established by Burnley-born philanthropist Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth. Today, it works with design students and institutes including Burnley College, Nelson & Colne College and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN).

Brierfield Mill is being converted into a luxury development

Stephen Barnes, former chief executive of Pendle Council and chairman of the Nelson Town Deal Board, played a key role in Northlight.

He said: “It is difficult to articulate how great this is. It is shockingly brilliant. The range of uses. The economic impact. The regeneration of the canal side and neighbouring buildings. These have taken over a decade to achieve.

“In that time, there have been ten prime ministers, different governments, different political administrations at Pendle Council and three chief executives.”

Completion of Northlight regeneration joint venture at Brierfield Mill, Pendle

He said the early era was during the political legacy of the 2001 Burnley riots, with anxiety about deprivation and social cohesion in northern towns, and Labour government’s policies for housing and regeneration. Later came Conservative governments and developments like the Northern Powerhouse. Conservative MP Andrew Stephenson was thanked for his work over the years.

Labour Coun Asjad Mahmood, Pendle Council’s leader and a PEARL board member, said: “I want to thank everyone who has helped make this a reality. It is going to be enjoyed for generations to come. We are immensely proud of everything at Northlight. The old mill was in a poor state. Now it is an icon on a hill. It is a great example of partnership.

Inside the renovated mill

He added: “Nearby in Nelson, some very exciting work is being done by the Nelson Town Board, including road and park improvements, business and employment support. And Colne is seeing investment in its theatres and market hall.”

Pendle chief executive Rose Rouse said Northlight was an ‘immense achievement’. She paid tribute to Stephen Barnes and recalled how visitors from other councils had doubted that Northlight could be achieved.

She said: “They expected something smaller, less ambitious and less well deigned with minimum community impact, When they saw it, they said ‘wow’.

Visitors see Burnley FC In The Community sport facilities at the Northlight regeneration

“Regeneration in Pendle is not easy because often people say the figures don’t stack-up. We often hear schemes are not viable under [Westminster] Treasury rules and investors will run away. However, we have shown a different approach here, where benefits pay-off in longer terms and differently. Northlight is the flagship of regeneration. It shows what is possible if you decided to make a difference.

“Pendle Council will be 50 years old this year. Northlight could not be a better 50th birthday present.”