Historic Middleton mill approved for £75m redevelopment
London-based developer Kam Fei Fong can now move forward with converting the vacant grade two-listed cotton mill into 135 flats and constructing an apartment block next door.
A delegated decision by Rochdale Council’s planning team confirmed that Warwick Mill will be repurposed and its neighbouring land developed to provide Middleton with a total of 281 more homes.
The former cotton mill was built in 1907 and shut in 1965. For years, it had only the occasional short-term tenancies and has been vacant since 2016. There was a fire on the ground floor in 2018, but damage was minimal.
Warwick Mill is set to host 135 of the 281 planned apartments – the rest will be delivered in a new-build block.
London House, an adjacent 1960s office building, is to be demolished to make way for The Loom, a 10-storey block of 146 apartments.
Of the 281 properties to be built, 152 of them will be single-bed, two-person homes.
There will be 18 studios, 110 two-bed homes, and a single three-bedroom flat, according to designs by GMA Architecture.
The Loom will be connected to Warwick Mill by a walkway between the two buildings.
Approximately 23,000 sq ft of flexible commercial floorspace across both buildings will see communal workspaces, a gym, and a restaurant space installed.
Plans submitted by WSP show that the restaurant will have outdoor decking looking onto the nearby brook.
The mill’s central atrium, providing natural light, will be split into two areas with green recreation spaces and children’s play facilities.
Car parking will be available with 77 spaces planned and 340 cycling spaces.
There will be 18 studios, 110 two bed homes, as well as 152 single bed, two-person homes. Credit: via planning documents
The revitalisation of Warwick Mill off Oldham Road is estimated to cost £75m, according to a viability statement by Savills. By contrast, the consultant projected that the project’s gross development value would be £68.5m
Accordingly, Rochdale Council has allowed the plan to go ahead without affordable housing.
According to the officer report, the decision was made “in order to deliver upon the strategic priorities within the Middleton Town Centre masterplan, as it would assist in establishing a strong rental market.”
The Middleton Town Centre masterplan aims to improve the towns residential and commercial offer, while simultaneously improving connectivity.
Warwick Mill courtyard concept from GMA Architecture. Credit: via planning documents
In addition to GMA and WSP, the Warwick Mill project team includes acoustic consultant Sandy Brown, environmental consultant RPS, fire consultant Jensen Hughes, MHA Structural Design, and heritage adviser Townscape.
Savills conducted the viability assessment for the project.
This will breathe a new life into the area and just in time for the met!
By Anonymous
This building is extremely grand and from the pictures, this redevelopment looks impressive. I hope the proposed Metrolink extension happens.
By Elephant
Great news. I’m guessing the tram coming made all the difference.
By Rich X
Excellent news but why is Middleton part of Rochdale council? 0161 landline, M postcode, Manchester post town… Even friends and family say there from Manchester, Not Rochdale.
By Anonymous
OK no cladding problems but have you seen the state ofthose ceilings/floors?
By Anonymous
Regarding the accommodation it appears that Middleton does not need Social Housing unlike every other town in the whole of the country. Doesn’t this detract from Angela Rayners plans for the country?
On a second point space for around 340 cycles does seem a rather high figure bearing in mind there are probably less cycles in the whole of Middleton now. It begs the question where are the new inhabitants going to park their cars when neighbouring streets are already full with cars.
By Andy Scanlon
Middleton is better off in Rochdale
By Anonymous
A novel viability assessment
By Anonymous
@Anonomous – don’t think all of those things dictate local authority boundaries – Rochdale doesn’t have its own postcode so is OL – so by that logic would be part of Oldham…. Many parts of Trafford, Salford and Tameside also bleed into the Manchester urban area, and people might identify more with Manchester, but that doesn’t mean most of the city region should be merged into Manchester City Council.
By Hmm
These are the places that should be utilised for housing not destroying our green belt and the fantastic wildlife we have
By Anonymous
About time should have been done years ago
By Pete
About time
By Anonymous
It is a good idea for something derelict to change but like mentioned before where are all the cars going to park, more congestion. I do hope it allows space for more plants to help balance pollution. Also there needs to be a different street entrance other than Oldham road, as them roundabouts are chocca enough.
By V
Hmm. Not enough car spaces, so where will the overflow park? Local estates?
By Anonymous
Maybe now it is time to refer to all the boroughs of Greater Manchester, as the GM borough of Rochdale, Trafford, Oldham etc, as they do in London. The postcodes could change to GMOL, GMBL, GMSK etc to create a proper big city, rather all this parochial nonsense about where people live. The future is Manchester everybody, As the Metrolink expands and there are only yellow buses, generations to come will all be Mancunians.
By Elephant
Its been going on for some years now this has
By old chestnut
It’s great to finally have an end to an eye sore lasting decades and be in equal modernisation with other towns, maybe next we can get direct tram link to the city center also, great news for local jobs in the area too
By Dave P
It’s about time, after all the years it’s stood doing nothing! Hope they look like flats and not what it looks like now. Something needs to be done to get rid of the “Mill” look. Hope it starts soon and we don’t have more years to wait to see some action.
By C. A. Ewart
How much are the Appartment s going to be
By Mark
Worked at that mill when it produced underwear, at the time of the 3 day week
By Barry Smith
Will Middleton residents be able to afford it though? If it has a gym it’s probably gonna be like all the other apartments in the city centre that remote-working Londoners move into and push locals further from the city
By Anonymous
What sort of underwear was it Barry?
By Anonymous
Happy to see it is finally being put to good use. It is a great building. I have worked in many of the manufacturing companies in there.
By Anonymous
With all those new apartments planned I would think the shopping Mall needs to be upgraded in advance !
By David Hughes