Victorian mill buildings set to be transformed into apartment complex
Victorian cotton mill buildings close to Bury town centre are set to be converted into flats. Albion Mill and Albion House are currently vacant but have most recently been occupied by Pur-o-Lux, a bespoke beds and mattresses firm who had been there since 1977.
Developers Bracknell Properties Ltd plan to convert the first, second and third floors of the mill building to 20 flats. A previous, similar application to convert the building into 42 flats has been withdrawn with planning documents stating that the council had concerns about ‘noise, traffic and contamination’.
Albion Mill is around 600 metres from Bury town centre, off Bolton Road. Revised plans submitted to Bury Council in the past week state the ground floor of Albion House would have a communal entrance, two apartments, a communal area, gym, plant room and mail room. Other flats would be created on the upper floors of the larger mill building with the ground floor used for storage.
The site is part of Bury’s rich industrial past, with Albion Mills operating as cotton weaving and spinning building from the 1850s. Another building, Arctic Mill was cleared sometime between 1958 and 1978 and the Brooksmouth Mill site to the south-west was also partially cleared by 1958.
Documents in support of the change of use application, said: “The external building footprint will remain unchanged, with no plans for expansion or extension of the existing structure. Essentially, the proposals entail refurbishing the current retail building to accommodate residential use.”
The plans state that if approved, the existing parking area would be rearranged to provide a total of 21 car parking spaces to serve the new residential properties. Planners in Bury will consider the plans in