An ongoing £32million regeneration of a landmark mill building in Pendle has been praised by borough councillors – but some have also raised worries that a nearby town centre is not yet seeing benefits from the investment.

The huge former Brierfield Mill, now called Northlight, can be seen from miles around. Located in Brierfield, it sits right next to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, where narrowboats cruise past, and the East Lancashire rail line between Preston and Colne, It is also close to the M65 motorway.

The imposing old cotton mill dates from 1832. It evolved over the years and was a base for Smith & Nephews fabric manufacturing in recent decades.Now it is being redeveloped into apartments, offices, gyms and other types of spaces.

Its stonework has been cleaned and it glows in the sunshine. The interiors have been redesigned with a mix of old and new features. A first phase of work has been completed, new apartments and offices are being occupied, and a second phase is starting.

Brierfield Mill’s appearance and setting by a canal and railway arguably have similarities to Bradford’s vast Salt’s Mill at Saltaire, which is often seen as a pioneering mill regeneration project. It is home to a David Hockney art gallery, businesses, restaurants, shops and apartments, and Saltaire has regular trains to Bradford, Leeds, Keighley and Skipton.

Backers of Northlight hope to create a mix of residential, commercial and leisure activities at the Brierfield site, mixing urban and rural lifestyles and offering good transport links to other towns and cities.

Nearby, other new homes have been built near the canal, such as Quaker Rise, and down Clitheroe Road.

The vast Northlight mill project is being done by Pendle Enterprise and Regeneration Ltd (PEARL), a joint venture between Pendle Council with Barnfield Investment Properties.  Pendle Council has a 30 per cent share in the joint venture and Barnfield Investment Properties has 70 per cent. For every £1 that Pendle Council invests, Barnfield invests £2.33, the partnership says.

Other local and regional investors and supporters include Burnley FC in the Community,  Lancashire County Council, Lancashire Enterprise Partneship and Nelson & Colne College. There is also an arts space called In Situ. The Northern Powerhouse partnership is also involved, which developed from an earler Conservative government and former Cancellor George Osborne.

Elsewhere in Pendle, a number of other PEARL joint venture companies and schemes have delivered new housing, offices or mixed use schemes at locations including in Colne and in Nelson, as detailed later in this report.

In a recent PEARL projects update, Pendle councillors were told 40 apartments in the northern half of the main Northlight mill at Brierfield have been created. Of these, 32  are sold, three reserved and five remain to sell. A second phase of 45 apartments in the southern half is under construction and sales have started.

POLITICAL DEBATE

At the Pendle Council Policy & Resources Committee meeting, a number of councillors from different political parties praised various PEARL projects.

Conservative Coun Nadeem Ahmed, who is the political Leader of Pendle Council, said: “The work done through PEARL over the years cannot be underestimated. It has been vital for work across Pendle. Without PEARL, we would have struggled to deliver the amount of schemes. Huge amounts of investment have come to Pendle as a result. From Brierfield Mill to Colne Health Centre, the list goes on, as this report shows.”

Lib-Dem Coun David Whipp agreed. He said: “PEARL has lived-up to its name. I have sung the praises of PEARL joint ventures for many years. Sometimes I have felt lonely in doing so. I have defended PEARL from attacks from the political left and right. If we’d not set it up years ago, there would have been nill regeneration in Pendle because of the withdrawal of government funding.

“Hundreds of properties have been refurbished or built, including in Whitefield in Nelson. And there is new housing in Brierfield.

“Northlight is a total transformation. The old mill was in a poor state. Now it’s an icon on the hill overlooking the M65. It’s a great example of what can be done. People are stunned by it.”

However, questions were raised by some Labour councillors about Northfield’s benefit on Brierfield town centre on the other side of the rail line.

Labour Coun Zafir Ali said: “Northlight has seen a very successful Phase 1. Many units have been sold and hopefully more for Phase 2. There is a range of interest in the second building. Do we know how many potential users there may be? Also, it’s said that the proposals should not impact on Brierfield town centre. I’d be interested to hear people’s views.”

Council officer Julie Whittaker, who is involved with PEARL projects, said: “Local organisations and others from outside Pendle have shown interest. We can’t name them at this point but hope to report something soon.”

Labour Coun Mohammad Hanif said: “When we started the Northlight project, I remember consultations saying £30million or £35million would be spent. This is good if it benefits Brierfield. But the downside to all of this is that it has not helped the town centre.

“They opened-up access to the B&Q store and proposed to make a one-way system at Glen Way. We have spent lots of money and it is a fantastic building. However the town has not benefited at all,” he claimed.

“Below the railway line, it is fantastic. But the town centre has been declining for ten years. There was also an idea to have Lower Fence at Brierfield but we opposed that. The point I’m making is that the town centre has not been helped.”

He also said there had been talk of upgrading Bridge Street and some council officers have moved on, which may have impacted on work.

However, Coun Ahmed saw things differently. He emphasised: “Brierfield has seen significant benefits with this building project. This is significant investment.”

Coun Whipp added: “We could have had a derelict mill [at Brierfield] along with a challenged town centre. We have done some good work on the mill. But the town centre issues need addressing.”

TOWN CENTRE VIEWS

The Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to people in Brierfield.

Karen Rayner, who works at the S W Allen Opticians, said: “We’ve had one or two new customers from the new apartments at the mill. They say it’s a nice place to live. But everybody say there’s not much happening in Brierfield town centre and it needs some money spent on it.

“I wouldn’t say the town centre feels busier yet – but we are hopeful it will take-off a bit with the mill. It’ll depend what the new people living in the mill do. Will they be commuters going somewhere else or will they be retired people who spend more time locally?

She added: “I go to a community cafe in Brierfield and people often say the town centre needs some money spending on it. I’m not aware that there have been any meetings about the town centre. There is a Brierfield website with some information but I’ve not heard much else about the town centre.”

Optician Maeisra Hussain said: “I’ve heard there’s a nice gym at the new mill and the redeveloped buildings look very nice.  In Brierfield town centre, I’d like to see more shops. The high street definitely needs to be spruced-up. If there were a better range of shops here, people wouldn’t need to travel to Nelson or Burnley for certain items. It would be easier for them to shop here.”

However, Shabih Ul Hasain said Brierfield was in a decent state: “I worked at the old mill site about ten years ago,  as a security guard. A lot of work has been done there and I think it looks good. There are apartments and offices there now. I think Brierfield town centre is OK. There is a meat shop and grocers, all the basics. It’s quite quiet and clean, which is good. ”

Crossing the canal bridge, Lukas  Puch, a photographer, claimed: “This mill development is useless for the locals. They don’t know anything about it. There should be more benefit for the community, such as benches along the canal and open spaces to meet people, have a picnic or play football. If you walk along the canal, there are more benches once you reach Burnley. They should do more with the canal here in Brierfield.”

He added: “Brierfield town centre has too many takeaways and not enough other things like restaurants. It’s too quiet at night time and some of the side streets don’t feel safe. If I’m out at night, I walk on the main streets. I tend to go to Bury for a night-out. I used to live in Bury and I like its town centre. It feels more modern.”

He also claimed: “Brierfield has cars speeding at 100mph at night. There are young lads with cars worth £50,000 or £60,000.  The police should take action on them.”

His brother, Daniel, an engineering machine operator, said: “More money should be spent on improving people’s lives and on street cleaning, litter bins and clearing rubbish from takeaways. They should also put speed humps along the high street. They put speed humps down here, going down past the railway station, but they should put them elsewhere too, And also  resurface the roads.”

THE NEXT PHASE AT BRIERFIELD AND OTHER PEARL PROJECTS

Pendle councillors were told at the Policy & Resources Committee meeting that business space in the northern half of the Northlight main mill is now fully let.  Business First has exchanged contracts on space in the southern half of the main mill and us considering how best to fit it out.

A report to councillors stated there has been a range of interest in the space in Building 2 and in the former engine house. This is expected to accommodate a mix of uses.

There will be some space onto the central spine road for small-scale retail for people who are living, working or visiting the site. But it is important that any retail does not affect  Brierfield town centre.

A public realm scheme will be undertaken by Pendle Council and Lancashire County Council on Bridge Street to encourage people from the mill to use the town centre, the report added,

Elsewhere in Pendle, other PEARL regeneration projects have included Oak Mill in Colne. the former Colne Health Centre; Hartley Square and Shackleton Hall Arcade in Colne, and offices at Nelson’s ACE Centre,

Currently, the future of Colne Market Hall and bus station is being looked at by the latest joint venture, called PEARL Together. This includes Pendle Council, Barnfield Investment Properties and the Together Housing organisation. Options could be complete demolition and rebuilding of new retail spaces and apartments, or a mix of refitting and rebuilding.

Pendle Council has created a Colne Market Forum to discuss ideas and gather views. There has been some criticism from stallholders and some councillors about an alleged lack of consultation and details, such as temporary accommodation for market businesses. They say the Colne Market Hall ideas have wider ramifications for the whole town centre, such as possible changes to traffic flows and an idea for a cinema.

Barnfield Construction has not been criticised by councillors. But it was approached for comment about Brierfield regeneration topics by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.