Page 192 - Beyond Decommissioning

Experience and lessons learned 173

Listed Building status and depressed state of the local property market impaired the
financial viability of redevelopment plans. Subsequently a Joint Venture was
established between Urban Splash, Bradford Council and Yorkshire Forward, which
involved private investments and public subsidy: in this way, redevelopment works
began in 2004.
The first phase of the redevelopment, the Silk Mill, was completed in September
2
2006 with the delivery of 131 apartments and 1500 m of community and business
spaces. The entire investment was some £14.5m ($19m) including £6.3m ($8.3) con-
tributed by the public sector funding.
The second phase, the Velvet Mill, has provided a further 190 apartments, includ-
ing a new two-story roof top extension, community and commercial space on the
ground floor. The beautiful stonework was cleaned up and repaired. The window
openings were retained but with new windows that respected the original design
by minimizing metal frames and maximizing the penetration of daylight
(Sheeran, 2017).
Trencherfield Mill was a textile factory near Manchester, United Kingdom.
Constructed in the early 1900s, the Mill changed hands a few times. It operated
a giant 1.86 MW triple-expansion four-cylinder engine, which was shut down
in 1968. As part of the Wigan Pier redevelopment program, Trencherfield Mill
was redeveloped into commercial, retail, leisure and residential spaces. The
local administration eventually declined to house an art center within the Mill
premises. The machinery has been conserved and refitted. The operating mill
engine can be visited as a touristic attraction on scheduled dates (Industrial
Archaelogy News, 2007).
Ditherington Mill spun flax to make linen cloth. It was the world’s first multi-story
building to have an iron frame—and its nonflammable structure gave it a major advan-
tage over earlier textile mills with wooden floors. The building still retains its original
structure. The building is 53-m long and 11-m wide inside. The construction dates
from 1797.
The Mill closed in 1886. Around 1897, it was converted into a malt house. Since
then, the building was used for malting until final closure in 1987. It has been Grade
I listed since January 1953.
Disused after its closure, the mill deteriorated and was placed on the Heritage at Risk
list. English Heritage bought the building in March 2005. In November 2010, planning
approval was granted for the mixed-use (public access, residential, and commercial)
redevelopment of the Ditherington complex (Timelines, 2017).
The 19th-century grade II listed Little Downham’s Tower Mill, UK, was in ruin
with no sails, windows, or cap, but has now been incorporated into a modern ecolog-
ically friendly home. The new house is situated at a small distance from the mill and
joined by a simple glazed structure which allows the mill to retain its visual
dominance.
The main building features details such as a glazed viewing area and mezzanine
which provide unrestricted views over the surrounding landscape. The building has
been designed with a principle of energy efficiency: related details include a biomass
boiler, rainwater-collecting system, and a mechanical ventilation system, which keeps