Historic mills in 75,000 sq ft office transformation

TWO mills dating back to the 1840s have been converted into 75,000 sq ft of offices.

The Halifax mills were built from 1841, and now form part of the Dean Clough business development.

Sheffield contractor JF Finnegan has been working on the renovations.

Employer Covéa Insurance will move into the buildings to accommodate its growth plans, with 600 staff making the move over.

The mills have been vacant since the 1950s and were once home to the world’s largest carpet factory.

Dean Clough is home to 140 businesses and includes galleries, a theatre and studios. Two new restaurants are set to open in the coming months, while Arts Council funded developments have just been completed in the Victoria Sheds.

Residential developments are set to launch imminently.

Gary Smith, managing director of JF Finnegan, commented; “We are delighted to have completed the restoration of the mills and to have created unique, high quality work space for a thriving local employer. We drew on our extensive experience of working on historic buildings such as Butcher Works and Wards Exchange in Sheffield to ensure the project was sensitively conducted and we have already received incredibly positive feedback from the client and occupier.”

Jeremy Hall, chairman and managing director of Dean Clough Ltd, said; “We are thrilled to announce completion of the newly restored A & B Mills for Covéa Insurance. The redevelopment will bring an incredible boost to the activity and dynamism of the site. Feedback from the staff at Covéa has been very positive to their new working environment and we wholeheartedly welcome them to our thriving business community.

“We are now looking ahead to the next stages of works to further enhance the Dean Clough experience to ensure that we retain our reputation as a great place for people to work and visit.”