Council saddened by the loss of Leek’s Big Mill

After Friday evening’s major fire that has led to the demolition of Big Mill in Leek, the Leader of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Councillor Mike Gledhill, has expressed his and the community’s deep sadness that one of the town’s historic buildings is no more.

He said of the iconic building on Mill Street, constructed in 1857 by the Victorian architect William Sugden:

“This was probably the best of Leek’s mill buildings. It certainly lived up to its name. It is undoubtedly a major loss to the skyline. However, it comes as the town is developing a bid to become a Town of Culture in the Government’s national competition. The Leek community is strong, resilient and ambitious and I am sure we will come together to create a vision for the future of the site.

“We are all grateful that no-one was hurt, although over 100 residents had to be evacuated. We are pleased to say those affected have now returned to their homes.

“I would like to thank the emergency services for their quick and brave response, our partners and the team at the Council for their ongoing actions since this incident began, which included setting up a rest centre and evacuating residents to hotels and other temporary accommodation.

“The community has responded magnificently, with examples of local businesses offering refreshments and food, the Premier Inn opening space for residents to congregate at short notice, and residents supporting each other with concern, offers of accommodation and physical and moral support.

“The Council is aware of previous reports regarding the security of the site and has responded to these as required.

“We are working closely with the owner of the site and our partners to ensure the safety of the site as it is now, and I would ask people in the area to look out for updates and to follow the advice given.”

Planning permission and listed building consent were granted in 2004 for the conversion of Big Mill, and the adjacent Shade Mill and Wardle Davenport Mill into residential apartments. But no development took place at Big Mill. In 2019 an amended application was made to increase the number of flats to 55.

In principle there was no objection on planning grounds to the amendment, but the proposed `removal of internal structure`, with all the floors from the building being replaced with a steel frame, raised concerns from Historic England, the Council’s conservation team and structural engineers. The developers had not managed to address those concerns up until Friday’s fire.

It will be up to the owner to bring forward any proposals for the future of the site in due course.