Steel workshop could be built next to Grade-II listed mill in West Yorkshire

An application to build a steel fabricating workshop next to one of the West Yorkshire’s most “at risk” historic mills has been submitted to Bradford Council.
Low Mill in KeighleyLow Mill in Keighley
Low Mill in Keighley

Grade-II listed Low Mill in Keighley was the first cotton mill in Yorkshire, but today is in a sorry state.

Just last month, the building was added to Save Britain’s Heritage’s “At Risk” register of historic and heritage buildings that face an uncertain future. And Historic England has listed the building’s condition as being “very bad.”

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Now a planning application to build on a plot of land next to the mill has been submitted, although it says that “unfortunately” the plans do not include the refurbishment of the mill building, on Gresley Road, a short distance from Keighley Rail Station.

The plans have been submitted by JCL Machinery Limited, and say the new two storey workshop will be “sensitive and subservient to the neighbouring building.”

Although the mill is not part of the application, and is not owned by the applicants, the application adds: “The proposal will hopefully reinstate some interest in the listed building next door and provide an incentive to develop the derelict building into studio and workshop space with community uses.”

It goes on to say that Bradford Council or Historic England needs to intervene in the building’s future, adding: “Without intervention, we are convinced that the Low Mill will be left to degrade on the site.”

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Low Mill was constructed in the 1770s, and when it came into operation in 1780, it was Keighley’s first industrial building and the first cotton mill in Yorkshire. It has a direct link to Sir Richard Arkwright, one of the pioneers of the industrial revolution.

Plans to restore the building have included proposals to convert it into a shop, offices and apartments. Despite these plans all being granted planning permission, the schemes never materialised.

Describing the planned workshop, which has been designed to echo the style of the mill, the application says: “The proposal is located at the furthest end of the site in order to set it apart from the mill.

"The proposal also incorporates architectural elements such as the arch, stone lintels and window surrounds proposed using the same squared sandstone as the listed building. The result is a courtyard affect hinting at the sites former heritage and industrial use.”

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However, the heritage statement in the plans, by Craft Design and Build, acknowledges the sensitive nature of the site, and the potential pitfalls of planning a development next to a listed building.

It adds: “As designers, we are left with the task of appeasing everyone on what is marked as undevelopable land due to a derelict listed building which is out of our site boundary. Had we have been consulted sooner we would have advised the client not to obtain the site.

“We would happily design along with our proposal for the industrial unit a suggestion to restore the mill and promote the use of lettable workshop/studio space with community uses, but this is not up to us to decide.”

If approved, the workshop would operate between 8am and 4pm on Monday to Friday. A decision on the application is expected in February.