Plan to turn former silk mill into flats

Plans to turn an historic former silk mill into 17 flats have been submitted. Amer Wahid wants to bring the Grade II listed Well Street Mill in Leek back into use as accommodation.

Mr Wahid’s application covers both the original four-storey mill building, which dates back to 1865, and the later two-storey annexe. There proposed works would see the creation of two studio apartments, 11 two-bedroom flats and four one-bedroom flats.

Both buildings are part of the Cross Street Mill complex, which was once an important centre for silk production. According to the application, Well Street Mill is a ‘notable landmark’ which has been vacant ‘for some time’, and is in need of internal repairs.

The application states: “The proposal set out is to create high quality residential apartments which caters for all, with studios, two bedroom and one bedroom apartments. The site has been through some rough times, with being shut for some time, roof damage and internal damage .

“Our client provides high quality accommodation for residents, and has previously worked on buildings within conservation areas, and is aware of the importance of building which have heritage meaning.”

In 2007 building was converted into 39 bedsits for seasonal staff at Alton Towers, but the internal partitioning from this scheme has since been stripped out. An application to convert Well Street Mill into 12 apartments, which would have seen the annexe demolished, was approved in 2017, but never carried out.

Under Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s planning policy, schemes with 10 or more residential units would normally have to be 33 per cent affordable housing. But the application claims that there should be no such obligation in this case as the scheme ‘creates no new floorspace’.

The application is due to be considered by the council’s planning committee on March 27.