Latest news with #MedlockMill
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Telegraph
Manchester mill blaze triggers alarm over spate of historic buildings fires
Conservation chiefs have raised fears over a string of fires gutting historic British buildings after a blaze burned down Manchester's earliest surviving textile mill. The Hotspur Press, also known as the Medlock Mill, has been partly demolished to enable 'safe' internal firefighting after it was hit by a major fire on Monday. The historic site dated back to 1801 and was repurposed as a printing press in 1902. Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, said the city's Fire Rescue Service would undertake a 'rigorous and forensic investigation'. He added that police and fire services will 'use all the powers at their disposal to pursue all necessary action' if there is evidence of criminality. Anya Lucas of the Georgian Group said the blaze was part of a worrying trend of historic sites going up in flames. 'We're noticing an escalation in the number of fires, it's ... a real concern. There's no national way of recording fire damage to historic buildings, but it's going on far too often,' she said. The Manchester site has been slated for redevelopment into a 35-storey student accommodation tower by London-based developer Manner, which filed revised plans for the building in May after taking on the project in 2020. Its plans involved installing aluminium cladding above its historic brickwork. At the same time, it was a contested heritage site, with campaigners calling for the building to gain protected status. Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, rejected a bid to make part of it listed in January. The Georgian Group appealed the decision in the following month, and had been waiting for an update before the fire struck earlier this week. The fire has stoked concerns from conservation specialists that historic buildings are being gutted, whether through arson by the owners, third parties or by accident, at significant cost to Britain's heritage and place-making efforts. Prominent examples include the Crooked House pub in Staffordshire, which was unexpectedly demolished days after it burned down in a suspected arson attack. There was also a suspicious fire at a derelict part of West Yorkshire's Dalton Mills in December last year, months after two teenagers were found guilty of starting an inferno that destroyed much of the historic complex in 2022. There are no allegations that the fire at Hotspur Press was caused by wrongdoing and the blaze is under investigation. Ms Lucas said: 'There's a separate point about what can be done in terms of more active protection, monitoring and recording how often this is happening and then potentially linking it to the development context, because more often than not there is one. It's not always arson, but there often is a link to what's going on in terms of live planning applications. She said it was an issue that the Government needs to engage more on, adding it is an issue that her group is 'keen to work on' with fellow preservation societies'. 'When these [buildings] are lost, you're losing the warp and weft of towns and cities up and down the country. That's an insidious process that cumulatively has a real impact on our heritage nationally,' she added. Thomas Ollivier, the Northern conservation adviser at the Victorian Society, said heritage buildings are 'seen as easy targets'. 'There is an onus on the owner of a building - whether it's the developer, council or private owner- to look after them,' he said. A spokesperson for Historic England noted there have been 'several serious mill fires' in the past decade including at Drummond Mill, Bradford in 2016, and Newsome Mill, Huddersfield in 2016. He added: 'Fires like these can have a devastating effect on local communities who cherish their local heritage.' Nicholas Boys Smith of Create Streets, a think tank, said northern textile mills were as 'precious to our story as Blenheim or Chatsworth'. 'Yet we are letting too many of them slip through our fingers, through decay, indolence or conflagration,' he said. Manner was contacted for comment. A spokesperson previously issued a statement to media outlets that called the fire 'truly heartbreaking'. 'We are absolutely devastated to see the extent of the damage that has been caused, and it is incredibly hard to come to terms with what is now left of this important building,' he said.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Hotspur Press building left a smoking ruin after major Manchester fire
A building on the site of what was believed to be Manchester's oldest mill is now a smouldering ruin after a major Hotspur Press building on Cambridge Street, close to Manchester Oxford Road railway station, was destroyed by a fire on Monday, leading to its partial collapse. The Victorian structure had fallen into a dilapidated state since the printing press closed down in 1996, and stood in contrast with some of the modern city blocks surrounding it. However, despite a number of delays, it had been earmarked for a major development scheme. Opened in the 1800s on the banks of the River Medlock, the building started life as a cotton mill, known as Medlock Mill. It was later repurposed as a printing press in 1902, and remained in business for 94 years. After years of failed attempts to redevelop the site, London-based developer Manner took on the building in 2020, and began working on new plans. Last May, the firm was given planning permission from Manchester City Council to turn the building into a 37 storey, 595 bed block of student flats. But the scheme was delayed after Manner twice changed its designs, and earlier this month said it was planning to submit fresh proposals to the council. The firm had vowed to "draw on the historical roots of the site" for the project, which would have involved some of the original building being demolished. While the original application for planning permission was granted, it attracted opposition from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) over the lack of affordable units. MMU had told councillors it had concerns that less than 20% of units would have been available at a discounted rent and also "the predominance of studio units which are less affordable than cluster units". But in a report to the planning committee, council officials also wrote it was estimated the development would add £3.6m to the local economy. The report, in May 2024, added: "This proposal would redevelop a derelict and vacant, low quality brownfield site close to the Oxford Road Corridor." The proposed student tower was initially intended to be clad in redbrick panels, but that was changed earlier this year to be anodised metal, appearing to be had since revised its plans for the building to include a bronze finish on the firm denied the change was related to its profit margins, with Manner boss Richard James telling the BBC in June that the firm "wanted to listen and take on board feedback".Manner has confirmed it is aware of the fire but has yet to comment further. GMFRS said on Monday evening it had deployed 20 fire engines to the fire, including two aerial units. It said the fire spread to a neighbouring apartment building,1 Cambridge Street, which was evacuated. An investigation into the cause of the fire was expected to begin on Tuesday. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
