To support a research project underway in Pendle, that enables the successful reuse of at-risk historic buildings nationally, consultants, Lanpro, in partnership with David Morley Architects, have been commissioned by Historic England and Pendle Borough Council to produce the thematic Design Code.

The Pendle Textile Mills Design Code will create a planning tool to ensure high-quality design and good conservation practice for historic textile mills, particularly in the North West of England. It will be developed in collaboration with partner organisations and key community stakeholders to provide a framework for heritage-led change and high-quality design to inform the sustainable reuse of historic industrial mills. It will also form part of the evidence base for the new Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill introduced by Parliament to equally distribute economic opportunities around the country and inform the Pendle Local Plan.

This project will cover the 93 textile mills in the area and will focus on a number of in-depth case studies to aid understanding, including mills in Brierfield, Colne, Nelson and Barnoldswick. Design codes are a set of simple, concise, illustrated design requirements that are visual and numerical wherever possible to provide specific, detailed parameters for the physical development of a site or area.

Councillor Nadeem Ahmed, Leader of Pendle Borough Council, said: “Mills were once powerhouses of the industrial revolution and have shaped the landscape of the north of England. Hundreds of textile mills still exist in the north, including 93 in Pendle alone, but many are vacant or underused and at risk of loss, threatening local identity.”

The reuse of these impressive sites, in a way that retains as much of their historic character as possible, is a regional priority for Historic England.

David Morley Architects and Landpro, a multi-discplinary plannning and development consultancy, have worked together on previous projects, including the conversion of Brierfield Mill and a feasibility study for Trafalgar House, a heritage asset in Nelson for Pendle Borough Council.