Former mill to be converted into homes

Permission has been granted to convert part of a mill in Hebden Bridge into 18 one-bedroom apartments.

Consent was secured this week by applicant, Kirklees Estates, for the scheme at Linden Works, in Linden Road.

The part of the building now intended for residential use is occupied by art galleries and studios on the upper floor, a computing/IT business on the middle floor and a recording studio on the lower floor.

A section of the property under separate ownership is for health-related office use.

While the three-storey property’s internal layout will be reconfigured as part of the conversion, no changes are proposed to the external appearance of the building.

The application had faced objections from people who argued it would take away valuable space for small businesses, amount to over development in a heavily populated location and would also cause parking and highway safety problems.

But a planning officer’s report on the proposals stated: “Given the benefits that 18 new apartments would bring to the town and the shortfall in housing and that there would be no conservation concerns or highway concerns subject to conditions, it is considered these benefits would outweigh any potential harm.

“It is noted that there has been a lot of objection regarding the loss of the Artsmill and the various art type projects that are undertaken from the premises.

“The choice to change the use of the building is that of the owner, the Local Planning Authority cannot insist that the premises are retained for such use.”