Plans for historic mill kick-start masterplan

Ambitious plans to refurbish a grade II-listed mill to create new homes and breathe life into an important building and part of Middleton’s history have been drawn up.Warwick Mill has recently changed ownership and the new owners, Kam Lei Fong (UK) Ltd, have been working with Rochdale Borough Council over the last nine months to develop proposals to redevelop the site.The plans will form the cornerstone of a new masterplan for Middleton town centre. It will focus on bringing forward homes, business space, highway and environmental improvements, amd walking and cycle routes to pave the way for the planned extension of the Metrolink into Middleton town centre.The plans for the listed mill are showcased in newly released CGI images. They present plans to create a central atrium which will open up the mill and provide light and space in an environment for residents to socialise. The adjacent external area plans to be opened up for commercial, food and drink uses, with publicly accessible open spaces.The plans will see the demolition of the derelict London House to bring forward a residential development, integrated with the mill.The owners have been working with the council and Historic England, to create a scheme which sympathetically restores the mill and implements new development to achieve a viable scheme. This work has informed designs which will go out for public consultation prior to the plans being submitted to the council.