Plan to turn historic Derbyshire mill complex into flats and houses

The 300-year-old Lumsdale Mill complex to the east of Matlock

A derelict 300-year-old Derbyshire mill complex could be turned into apartments and houses in new plans. The plans, submitted by Mark Lee to Derbyshire Dales District Council, would see the historic former Lumsdale Mill, just east of Matlock, turned into 11 apartments and 14 houses.

If approved, the plan would see the former mill buildings themselves turned into apartments while the houses would be built in the surrounding grounds. Meanwhile, the remaining outbuildings on the mill complex would be converted for commercial and business uses.

The district council will make a decision on the scheme in the next few months. A report submitted with the application details that while the site is a core part of the county’s history, the buildings on site are not listed, but lie in the Lumsdale Conservation Area.

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The mill complex was constructed as the Farnsworth Bleach Works in the 17th century before being used by a variety of businesses and commercial uses and now lies almost entirely vacant. Of the flats, 10 would be two-bed, one would be four-bed and of the houses 10 would be three-bed and four would be four-bed – four flats and four houses would be classed as affordable housing.

There would be a total of 59 parking spaces on the proposed site. A report submitted with the application says: “With regard to the new build residential component of the redevelopment, notwithstanding the financial need for housing to cross-fund the conversion of the mill, the redevelopment of this previously developed brownfield site provides a significant opportunity to contribute toward the overall housing need in the district which should be attributed significant weight in the overall planning balance.

“The mill and surrounding outbuildings are in various states of repair with some worse than others, but generally the condition of the buildings is poor. The applicant advises that, due to the continued low demand for the type and nature of commercial premises on offer at Lumsdale Mill and the reduced rental income achievable for such units, the buildings are not financially capable of funding their own basic repairs let alone any upgrades to the existing fabric of the Mill building.

“The continued limited occupation of the units and the low commercial rents achievable are insufficient to provide any investment back into the buildings or the Mill which will fall into further decline. The units are also deemed to be deficient in respect of additional facilities required to meet the needs of modern commercial/business operators when compared to alternative commercial premises in the locality.

“The mill and associated buildings are set over varying steep gradients which further restrict the type of business that can successfully operate from the site given the constrained nature of the overall site. Through a combination of the requirements of commercial/business operators and the compounded cost of general repair and restoration of the building, this has collectively made the prospect of continuing the commercial uses of the mill uneconomic.

“The demolition of the later buildings would unlock the redevelopment potential of the wider site, allowing the more significant buildings which contribute most to the character and appearance of the Lumsdale Conservation Area to be retained and repaired. The long-term conservation of the site would only be achievable through significant financial investment captured from the wider mixed-use development proposal.”

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