Directors plan to turn historic textile mill into business centre

Sunny Bank Mills, in Town Street, in the centre of Farsley, Leeds, are being renovated to provide modern office space for small and medium-sized businesses.

Joint directors and cousins William and John Gaunt stopped textile production at the site in 2008. Their ancestor, John Gaunt, was one of the clothiers who opened the original mill in 1829.

William Gaunt said: "It was desperately sad to stop textile production here. Even though we made some of the finest quality wool cloth in the world, it was just not economically viable to continue."

The decline of the textile industry saw the 1912 Mill, the biggest building on site, being used by Yorkshire Television as filming and production studios for Emmerdale and Heartbeat but they have

now moved out.

Mr Gaunt added: "As part of the first phase of works, The 1912 Mill will provide the most space, 26,000 sq ft over three floors, while there will be other units, spread across the whole site and ranging from just 500 sq ft to 4,000 sq ft.

"This is a long-term project. We are not rushing into anything and we are taking great care to get this restoration absolutely right. Ultimately, we hope that 700-800 jobs will be created here, matching the mills in their hey-day."

Leeds property agent Dove Haigh Phillips is marketing the scheme.