Developer swoops for landmark mill building
Nottingham-based ALB Group has bought Long Eaton landmark, Bridge Mills, from Baco Investments.
The 0.7-acre mill site, in Derby Road, boasts a 1902-built former lace factory with prominent 110ft-high brick chimney.
The mill was the last multi-storey tenement factory to be built in England. Located next to the Erewash Canal, the buildings now house a number of commercial tenants over three of its four floors, including two of the UK’s largest furnishing businesses, DFS and Ashley Manor, as well as fashion and leisure firms.
ALB is planning to restore and refurbish the top floor of Bridge Mills with a view to attracting one or more new commercial tenants to the development.
It is the second venture of this kind undertaken by ALB in recent years. In 2015, the firm transformed the historic Victoria Mill, in Draycott, Derbyshire, into 73 luxury apartments with a highly acclaimed £7m regeneration project.
Arran Bailey, managing director of ALB, said: “As guardians of the wonderful history we have sitting on our doorstep, it is incredibly rewarding to be able to breathe new life into these buildings.
“The fantastic results we saw with Victoria Mill, providing a much-needed boost to the local economy in Draycott, can be repeated in Long Eaton with Bridge Mills.
“It’s thankfully still a working building, so our initial input will be quite limited. But these old industrial spaces are proving more and more popular – both as residential apartments and for businesses looking for more character in their workspace – so we look forward to keeping Bridge Mills busy and vibrant for many years to come.”
