Homes at former mill site are nearly ready

NEW . . . The housing development by Century 21 on the site of the former Durban Mill

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HOUSES at the site of the former Durban Mill will be available on the market later this month.

Planning permission was granted in 2016 for 80 rented houses at the site of the 101-year-old Durban Mill and landowners Grasscroft Property sold the 4.5-acre Hollinwood site to developers Countryside Properties.

Countryside agreed a subsequent deal with Sigma Capital to own and manage the units, which will be made available for market rental upon completion.

There will be 80 homes, of which 64 will be three-bedroom, eight two-bedroom and eight four-bedroom homes.

The land, next to Oasis Academy secondary school, off Hollins Road, had been vacant since 2008 and was considered a blight on the surrounding areas.

In October 2015 the mill's 130ft-high iconic chimney came crashing to the ground in an explosive demolition. Soon after the mill itself was demolished over three months - ending in January 2016.

Most residents previously told the Chronicle they were glad to see the back of the eyesore mill, but also expressed concerns about the impact new homes will have on traffic, parking and school places.

The old building was used as a cotton mill in 1905 by Durban Mill Co and taken over by Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1957.

Production ceased in 1962 before Littlewoods occupied it in 1967 as a mail-order warehouse. It was most recently occupied by general merchandise supplier Findel, which vacated in about 2008.