Council blocks demolition of 'landmark' mill

Plans to demolish part of a 19th Century mill in Brontë Country have been refused after conservation officers said part of the site should be protected.

An application to demolish sections of Vale Mill, a short distance from Oakworth Station, had been submitted to Bradford Council as part of proposals to redevelop the site for housing.

While it stated that a Grade II listed section of the mill would have been retained and converted, the plans also included the demolition of an unlisted four-storey building.

The council's conservation officer, Jon Ackroyd, said the building was a "landmark presence" that should be treated as part of the wider listed mill complex.

The mill complex is on Vale Mill Lane, on the border of Cross Roads and Oakworth, and next to the junction with Mytholmes Lane.

Built in the early 19th Century for John Greenwood, the mill was given its listed status in 1986.

Designed as a spinning mill, at its height the site employed more than 110 people, the Local Democracy Service reports.

The application by Jonathan Heaton, said the buildings were in poor condition and had deteriorated over time.

It stated the site would become vacant by the end of 2026, increasing the risk of vandalism, while asbestos removal work would further weaken some of the structures.

However, refusing the demolition request, a council report said Ackroyd had "identified the building as making an important contribution to the historic group and as a landmark presence within the landscape."

It stated: "The conservation officer's advice also notes that demolition of the four-storey mill would require compelling justification and confirms that the presumption in favour of retention applies.

"Having regard to the specialist heritage advice available, officers are not satisfied that the four-storey mill building constitutes a building capable of demolition."

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