Part of an historic Derbyshire mill complex is set to be demolished after a recent arson attack left it unsafe, with plans pending for the site to be turned into homes.
The 200-year-old Tansley Wood Mill complex, in Lumsdale, between Matlock and Tansley, was at the centre of a fire on July 1 with one building among the complex left so unsafe that investigators could not assess it for the cause of the blaze.
Plans to turn the complex into 11 apartments and 14 houses within the grounds were submitted to Derbyshire Dales District Council by private landowner Mark Lee last February and have not yet been decided.
Now an application from Tansley Wood Mills Ltd, run by Robert, Alan and Glenys Wright, filed to the district council, seeks to demolish most of the fire-hit building in the Grade-II listed mill complex, which is the former bleaching house.
A report filed with the plans says the fire at the mill complex is believed to be arson.
It details: “The structural integrity of building six (the bleaching house) has been significantly affected by the recent fire with the effects causing numerous areas of instability and potential for progressive/ongoing movement.
“The current condition of the building now causes significant risk to the safety of anybody within close proximity, whether authorised or not.
“Undertaking and remedial stabilisation works would not be possible without demolition works being undertaken first.
“Due to the nature of the structure the removal of one section to make it safe leads to the adjacent area being more unstable and increasing the likelihood of collapse of the structure in the adjacent area.
“The lack of stability in the structure is a significant cause for concern for safety and the risk of collapse is significant with the potential risk to life and adjacent structures significant.
“We would recommend the reduction in height of the structure to a maximum of 1.8m from ground level.”
Two further buildings on the site are said to be in need of structural support.
A decision is due to be made on this new application in the next few months.
Tansley Wood Mill is said to have been completed in 1783 while the bleaching house is believed to have been constructed between 1846 and 1871.
It was first developed by Osgathorpe and Prestwidge for the spinning of candlewick yarn from flax waste before being taken over by a Miss Willoughby.
Candlewick was produced on site until 1871 after which the mill was used for manufacturing textiles until 1999.
The applicants refer to the site as a “substantially complete example of a late 18th Century, first generation water-powered textile factory, whose form is strongly influenced by Sir Richard Arkwright’s cotton spinning factory at nearby Cromford”.
