Plans to demolish 116-year-old Oldham mill revealed

The mill in Royton

A developer has revealed plans to demolish a 116-year-old mill in Oldham and replace it with almost a hundred new homes.

Kellen Homes has begun to leaflet residents to get feedback from the local community ahead of submitting a planning application to the council.

They are seeking to demolish the Vernon Works mill buildings in Royton and replace it with a mix of ‘low-rise’ two, three and four bedroom family homes.

The warehouse facilities on High Barn Street, which are Grade Two listed, were put up for sale by toy company Character Group for £3.5 million. 

According to property consultants Davies Harrison the mill, which was built in 1905, sold in February for £2.2m. 

Kellen Homes says the proposed new houses will be a ‘mix of tenure, adding to the future sustainability of the community’.

It is proposed that access to the new estate would be taken from Radcliffe Street as they say the existing access to the site is ‘unsuitable’ and would be closed off.

“In addition to supplying high quality family housing, this development would also bring a number of economic benefits both during and following construction,” Kellen Homes says. 

The developer says they are working on the constraints of the site and to ensure the ‘amenity of nearby and adjacent properties are not adversely affected’.

“We appreciate that this development may cause some temporary disruption to you as surrounding residents but hope that this is outweighed by the benefits that the new scheme will bring in removing vacant, dilapidated warehouse and mill buildings and delivering much needed new homes,” they add.

“The delivery of housing on this brownfield site would also reduce the need to develop greenfield and/or on the green belt land elsewhere in the borough.”

People can give feedback on the proposals by emailing land@kellenhomes.com.

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