Macclesfield mill conversion plans submitted

Plans have been submitted to Cheshire East Council for the conversion a former silk mill in Macclesfield into apartments.

Developers and owners, the Almand-Smith family, plan to convert the grade II listed Upper Paradise Mill into 10 apartments in Macclesfield town centre. The building has been unoccupied for the last two years, as a lack of parking made it undesirable for office space, however Lower Paradise Mill remains in use as a museum Macclesfield’s silk weaving heritage.

If approved, the mill conversion would comprise 8 two-bedroom apartments, two on each upper floor, and two one-bed apartments on the ground floor, totalling 10 new homes in a sustainable location in Macclesfield town centre.

In the planning application submitted to Cheshire East Council, architects, Wilmslow-based NC Architects, believe that the conversion of the grade II listed building will help preserve one of Macclesfield’s historic silk mills by bringing it back into use, and intend to make only limited changes to the exterior.

The mill was originally home to Cartwright and Sheldon silk weavers from its construction in 1860 until the business closed in 1981, when the mill began to be used as offices.

A decision on whether to approve the proposed mill conversion is due on 6th July 2020.

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