Middleton’s regeneration has taken another major step forward with the council formally completing the purchase of Warwick Mill from developers, Kam Lei Fong.
Once a thriving cotton mill, the imposing structure, which was built in 1907, has been vacant for at least a decade and has since become an eyesore, regularly attracting vandalism and urban explorers.
The council sees redevelopment of Warwick Mill, which is Grade II listed, as a major opportunity to bring an important historic building back into use as new homes for the benefit of the Middleton community.
The neighbouring 1960s office block, London House, has also been purchased as part of the £3.3 million deal, with plans to demolish the building.
Work to transform the building will get under way quickly. Rochdale firm, Winterburns, is set to take over security immediately, with a beefed up, 24-hour presence on site. The firm will also start clearing the mountain of debris which has built up over years of neglect, including 1,000 tyres and overgrown plants and trees.
Teams will soon start the delicate internal strip out of Warwick Mill and London House. The demolition of London House, a brutalist structure with little architectural merit, is set to get under way early in the New Year.
The council will then kick start the process of tendering a developer partner to undertake the longer-term work of bringing Warwick Mill back into use.
Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said:
“Warwick Mill is a key historic asset in the heart of Middleton, and I know that local residents have long been frustrated that it’s fallen into such a state of disrepair and I share that frustration. We’ve wanted to see it brought back into use for a number of years, but we’ve seen no real progress under successive owners.
“By buying it ourselves, we’re bringing it into public control and are now in a position to steer its future. Now it’s in our hands, we’re wasting no time in making immediate changes, with a local company leading this work for us.
“As such a key part of this area’s history and a major building in the heart of Middleton, this is a huge regeneration opportunity, with new homes something we're particularly keen to explore for this site. With the rapidly emerging Middleton MDC, the Warwick Mill project is just the first of a series of regeneration schemes which will change the face of this whole area.”
The move will help kickstart Middleton’s next phase of regeneration, which has been galvanised by the creation of the Middleton Co-operative Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC). Led by Steve Coogan and Rose Marley, with the full support and backing of the council, the MDC has recently been rubber stamped by Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig, with final approval from the secretary of state expected early in 2027.