Historic mill faces 'inevitable' collapse

Urgent works are required to stop the "inevitable" collapse of the roof of a heritage-listed building, documents have revealed.

The decaying windows of the Imperial Mill in Blackburn were said to pose a "major health and safety risk".

The state of the 1901 building in Gorse Street was revealed in documents submitted with a planning application for urgent repairs to its roof and windows.

Blackburn with Darwen Council, which bought the mill in February 2023, said it had secured £1m of Levelling Up cash to help restore it.

The council was also seeking heritage, lottery and other government grants, to pay for repairs.

Conservative regeneration spokesman councillor Paul Marrow called the survey findings "extremely alarming".

He said the Imperial Mill was at risk of becoming a "white elephant" with a "spiralling cost" to the authority and council taxpayers.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s growth boss, Cllr Quesir Mahmood, said the council always knew "a lot of work" would be required to restore the mill.

“It will be a long journey but we can make it the jewel in our crown," he said.

The reports, submitted alongside a planning application to the council, included a programme consisting of roof works and window protection.

A condition survey made clear why the repairs were necessary.

"If water ingress is allowed to worsen, it would inevitably lead to the roof’s collapse, consequently causing almost irreparable damage to the heritage asset as a whole," it said.

They also said works would "complement" the heritage asset’s original function, whilst providing a "new purpose" for the building to ensure its position and relevance within the Blackburn skyline.

The approval was granted despite councillor Marrow expressing concern about the structural soundness of the rest of the building, in case the project became "a noose around the council’s neck".

Borough planning manager Gavin Prescott said the proposal was the first in a series of applications to regenerate the building, with another for the loading bay expected soon.

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