Anvic celebrates 30 years of housing businesses

THE owner of a former cotton mill-turned commercial office building is celebrating 30 years of success after battling through the global economic downturn of 2008.

Anvic Developments bought the former North Bridge spinning mill in Elm Street, Burnley, in 1985 and floor by floor transformed the sandstone building into a state-of-the art facility for upcoming businesses.

Chairman and founder Paul Dawson masterminded the gradual three-year renovation of the building.

He and team transformed the three-story mill into Northbridge House – a cluster of office spaces suitable for lone workers to large organisations.

Dawson said: “I could see opportunity in Northbridge House to provide somewhere for SMEs in the area to be based. It was an opportunity that arose.

“It has taken a lot of time and effort to get it to the standard that it is at, and we have reinvested a lot of money back into the building to ensure it remains modern.

“We started work on the bottom floor and slowly climbed up through the building.”

Dawson said office buildings had changed dramatically over the last 30 years with the introduction of faster telephone lines and the internet – but said they have kept ahead of the competition.

He said: “We are constantly reinvesting and refurbishing the buildings to ensure they are at the cutting edge of technology in terms of internet and telecoms.”

After the success of Northbridge House, which currently houses around 100 businesses, Anvic bought nearby Lodge House.

At Lodge House – another former spinning mill – Anvic has retained a lot of the old charm and features – like the brickwork and machinery housing. Some of the old machinery is displayed in the shared courtyard at the former mill in Cow Lane, and its chimney is a listed structure.

Since redeveloping the Burnley mills, Anvic has also extended into the Manchester market with office blocks in Piccadilly House and City View House.

In 2011, Dawson won a lifetime achievement award at the Burnley Business Awards for his contributions to the town.