Bid to demolish Victorian mill in Darwen

5:00pm Monday 2nd July 2012 in Darwen Photograph of the Author By Dan Clough, Reporter

A 162-YEAR-old Darwen mill could be knocked down and the land redeveloped under plans submitted by a construction firm.

Nelson company Barnfield has bought the Balle Street Mill site for a fee understood to be around £240,000. And the firm has asked to knock down the 5,190sqm mill, which was built between 1850 and 1852.

Managing director Tim Webber confirmed that discussions were ongoing as to what the site could be redeveloped as, but it could be used for both industrial and commercial premises.

Tracy Clavell-Bate, sales and lettings manager at Barnfield, said: “We are looking forward to breathing new life into this former mill site.”

Balle Street Mill has stood empty since March 2010, when occupants Octaveward went bust, leaving 65 workers redundant. It was initially on the market for £750,000, but with little interest the price was significantly reduced by agents Athertons Commercial.

The mill was the site of a huge fire in November, 2008.

Marsh House town councillor and secretary of Blackburn, Darwen and Rural Civic Voice Simon Huggill said: “The developers need to think very carefully about the historic setting of India Mill.

“The frontage of Balle Street Mill significantly contributes to that historic setting.

“If a way can be found to keep the frontage but develop an industrial facility behind, that would be excellent.”

Comments (12)

5:08pm Mon 2 Jul 12

burner says...

. . "“If a way can be found to keep the frontage but develop an industrial facility behind, that would be excellent.”
.
Oh, and while you are thinking on that, what about the historic clock tower in Blackburn Town Centre?
.
. . . or is it not 1960?
. . "“If a way can be found to keep the frontage but develop an industrial facility behind, that would be excellent.” . Oh, and while you are thinking on that, what about the historic clock tower in Blackburn Town Centre? . . . . or is it not 1960? burner

6:23pm Mon 2 Jul 12

safetyman says...

Knock it down, and build something modern
Knock it down, and build something modern safetyman

7:10pm Mon 2 Jul 12

bossindian says...

Knock it down - sooner the better I say
Knock it down - sooner the better I say bossindian

7:19pm Mon 2 Jul 12

Darwenbert says...

The frontage of Balle Street Mill significantly contributes to that historic setting!!!! it looks awful what planet are these folk on.
The frontage of Balle Street Mill significantly contributes to that historic setting!!!! it looks awful what planet are these folk on. Darwenbert

8:18pm Mon 2 Jul 12

RUinsane says...

Sold for development?? they haven't even finished the Belgrave mill debacle/fiasco yet. Steady on, never heard of finishing one job before you start another? Anyway are they not referring to the side of the mill that faces the lodge that has character? The road side looks like the back. The back looks like the front.
Either way the belgrae mill development looks like a cross between the berlin wall, east side, and a gypo camp. Pretty good going for something smack in the middle of town.
Sold for development?? they haven't even finished the Belgrave mill debacle/fiasco yet. Steady on, never heard of finishing one job before you start another? Anyway are they not referring to the side of the mill that faces the lodge that has character? The road side looks like the back. The back looks like the front. Either way the belgrae mill development looks like a cross between the berlin wall, east side, and a gypo camp. Pretty good going for something smack in the middle of town. RUinsane

8:23pm Mon 2 Jul 12

doomchanter says...

The difference between the price the estate agents were asking and the final price it sold for show how over valued property like this is.
The north west is blighted by vacant industrial buildings which are too expensive for any one to buy / rent . Most are impractical for modern use anyway.
As may a fed up resident can testify empty industrial property is a target for vandalism and other antisocial behavior.
The difference between the price the estate agents were asking and the final price it sold for show how over valued property like this is. The north west is blighted by vacant industrial buildings which are too expensive for any one to buy / rent . Most are impractical for modern use anyway. As may a fed up resident can testify empty industrial property is a target for vandalism and other antisocial behavior. doomchanter

8:46pm Mon 2 Jul 12

Smacx25 says...

Thats it, remove all signs of Blackburns industrial heritage. Blackburn council have already completed 95% of it and now want to dig up corpses for their white elephant Road To Nowhere.
Thats it, remove all signs of Blackburns industrial heritage. Blackburn council have already completed 95% of it and now want to dig up corpses for their white elephant Road To Nowhere. Smacx25

1:45am Tue 3 Jul 12

english rose 1 says...

Smacx25 wrote:
Thats it, remove all signs of Blackburns industrial heritage. Blackburn council have already completed 95% of it and now want to dig up corpses for their white elephant Road To Nowhere.
Gosh there really are some simpletons on this site tonight ! The Council DOES NOT OWN the mill. It is privately owned. The Council WILL NOT develop a site it does not own. this site is entirely down to the private sector.

The only role the Council will have is in determining any planning application that may come forward in the future.
[quote][p][bold]Smacx25[/bold] wrote: Thats it, remove all signs of Blackburns industrial heritage. Blackburn council have already completed 95% of it and now want to dig up corpses for their white elephant Road To Nowhere.[/p][/quote]Gosh there really are some simpletons on this site tonight ! The Council DOES NOT OWN the mill. It is privately owned. The Council WILL NOT develop a site it does not own. this site is entirely down to the private sector. The only role the Council will have is in determining any planning application that may come forward in the future. english rose 1

9:06am Tue 3 Jul 12

Joseph O'M says...

english rose 1 wrote:
Smacx25 wrote: Thats it, remove all signs of Blackburns industrial heritage. Blackburn council have already completed 95% of it and now want to dig up corpses for their white elephant Road To Nowhere.
Gosh there really are some simpletons on this site tonight ! The Council DOES NOT OWN the mill. It is privately owned. The Council WILL NOT develop a site it does not own. this site is entirely down to the private sector. The only role the Council will have is in determining any planning application that may come forward in the future.
True, but councils do have powers to protect buidlings if they see fit, whether that means a building fits the criteria for listing at national status (India Mill) or a local conservation designation (as was recently invited by BwD council). Additionally, as a direct result of national policy, a lot of vacant mill buildings are being demolished due to the empty buildings tax ( http://www.telegraph
.co.uk/finance/newsb
ysector/construction
andproperty/2792422/
Empty-buildings-tax-
rethink-as-landlords
-opt-for-demolition.
html# ) so when Smacx25 says that 95% of our industrial heritage has gone, really he's not that far off the mark (exactly who is responsible is less clear, but it is undeniable that towns with more forward thinking planning policies tend to retain their architectural history to a much greater extent than Blackburn has). A lot of the buildings that have come down in the last 4 years would still be standing if it weren't for this new tax, and if an economic upturn arrives (please!), or if someone wanted to set up a business temporarily in an old mill space, they would have been able to do so cheaply - the less of these old buildings there are, the less cheap space is available to fledgling business. Smacx25 is also quite clearly referring to the Freckleton Street extension ("white Elelphant Road To Nowhere"). This is indeed being undertaken by the council, and has resulted in the demolition of St Peter's Vicarage, will result in the eviction of the congregation and demolition of the only remaining purpose built Victorian (1905) Spiritualist Temple in Blackburn on Chapel Street, potentially the demolition of the old nurses house, and as Smacx25 points out, the disinterring of up to 1000 bodies of deceased Blackburn residents.
[quote][p][bold]english rose 1[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Smacx25[/bold] wrote: Thats it, remove all signs of Blackburns industrial heritage. Blackburn council have already completed 95% of it and now want to dig up corpses for their white elephant Road To Nowhere.[/p][/quote]Gosh there really are some simpletons on this site tonight ! The Council DOES NOT OWN the mill. It is privately owned. The Council WILL NOT develop a site it does not own. this site is entirely down to the private sector. The only role the Council will have is in determining any planning application that may come forward in the future.[/p][/quote]True, but councils do have powers to protect buidlings if they see fit, whether that means a building fits the criteria for listing at national status (India Mill) or a local conservation designation (as was recently invited by BwD council). Additionally, as a direct result of national policy, a lot of vacant mill buildings are being demolished due to the empty buildings tax ( http://www.telegraph .co.uk/finance/newsb ysector/construction andproperty/2792422/ Empty-buildings-tax- rethink-as-landlords -opt-for-demolition. html# ) so when Smacx25 says that 95% of our industrial heritage has gone, really he's not that far off the mark (exactly who is responsible is less clear, but it is undeniable that towns with more forward thinking planning policies tend to retain their architectural history to a much greater extent than Blackburn has). A lot of the buildings that have come down in the last 4 years would still be standing if it weren't for this new tax, and if an economic upturn arrives (please!), or if someone wanted to set up a business temporarily in an old mill space, they would have been able to do so cheaply - the less of these old buildings there are, the less cheap space is available to fledgling business. Smacx25 is also quite clearly referring to the Freckleton Street extension ("white Elelphant Road To Nowhere"). This is indeed being undertaken by the council, and has resulted in the demolition of St Peter's Vicarage, will result in the eviction of the congregation and demolition of the only remaining purpose built Victorian (1905) Spiritualist Temple in Blackburn on Chapel Street, potentially the demolition of the old nurses house, and as Smacx25 points out, the disinterring of up to 1000 bodies of deceased Blackburn residents. Joseph O'M

10:14am Tue 3 Jul 12

QuizOnMyFace says...

Lower Eccleshill...

Union Street...

Belgrave...

All unfinished and all horrific eye sores. Will Balle Street Mill be next?
Lower Eccleshill... Union Street... Belgrave... All unfinished and all horrific eye sores. Will Balle Street Mill be next? QuizOnMyFace

12:11pm Tue 3 Jul 12

Your ferret stinks says...

Lower darwen paper mill was demolished and new buildings built years ago and still no-one has a use for them.
Lower darwen paper mill was demolished and new buildings built years ago and still no-one has a use for them. Your ferret stinks

2:04pm Tue 3 Jul 12

english rose 1 says...

Your ferret stinks wrote:
Lower darwen paper mill was demolished and new buildings built years ago and still no-one has a use for them.
Correct - shows the very weak state of the private sector at the moment esp in the poorer areas of the North. Yet these are the very areas that the Govt is cutting funding to the most.

Just on the comments of Quizonmyface - at least the Union St development has now been taken over by Together Housing Group (Twin Valley Homes) and is currently being developed into 50 older persons flats.

The private sector isn't always best at regeneration - unfortunately the present Govt is relying too much on the private sector, - which may be OK in parts of the SE, but doesn't do a lot for the former industrial towns of the North.
[quote][p][bold]Your ferret stinks[/bold] wrote: Lower darwen paper mill was demolished and new buildings built years ago and still no-one has a use for them.[/p][/quote]Correct - shows the very weak state of the private sector at the moment esp in the poorer areas of the North. Yet these are the very areas that the Govt is cutting funding to the most. Just on the comments of Quizonmyface - at least the Union St development has now been taken over by Together Housing Group (Twin Valley Homes) and is currently being developed into 50 older persons flats. The private sector isn't always best at regeneration - unfortunately the present Govt is relying too much on the private sector, - which may be OK in parts of the SE, but doesn't do a lot for the former industrial towns of the North. english rose 1

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