Part of mill where teenager died after falling off roof to be blown up - as residents evacuated

Residents living around a former ‘death trap’ mill site are to be evacuated while its last standing chimney is blown up.

Oldham council has confirmed the chimney of Hartford Mill is to be demolished using explosives on Sunday, October 1 at 10am. Residents living close to the mill site in Werneth will be evacuated while the demolition takes place by the landowner. Once cleared, it is expected that the site will be redeveloped for housing.

It had been intended that the 229 ft chimney structure of the former Grade-Two listed cotton mill, which opened in 1907, would be demolished with a specialist machine. However these plans were not possible as the machine was unavailable, the local authority said. It will now be taken down through the use of explosives.

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Council leader Arooj Shah said: “I’ve been told knocking down any chimney, especially one which is quite close to housing, is a complex job. That’s why it has remained standing while the rest of the mill was bulldozed. The removal of it will be an important milestone in this project and once it’s gone, the site can be cleared so it can then be used for much-needed new housing in the future.

“The council does everything it can to support building on brownfield land, to reduce pressure to build on the greenbelt. This site is a great example of that. The demolition will inconvenience residents living close to the site but it should only be for a small period of time and our teams are in touch with them.

“We also know people will come to see the chimney fall but bear in mind there