I am ecstatic that, tonight, Labour-led Amber Valley Borough Council has granted permission for work to commence on the Belper Mills.
I spoke at the meeting, giving my support to the regeneration of the historic site.
I have worked more on this than any other issue throughout my time as Mid Derbyshire’s MP – including through countless meetings with people from the community, local authorities, the owners of the site, and the Labour government.
Tonight’s ruling is a new dawn for these historic buildings, which are key to the East Midlands’ only Unesco World Heritage Site.
The plans set out a journey for how they can be brought back into use. They propose 130 flats, and will enable uses such as shops, a restaurant or café, offices – and space for a museum.
This year, people in Belper and around the world mark the 250th anniversary of Jedidiah Strutt’s first water-powered cotton mill in 1776, which transformed Belper into the world’s first factory town.
So, despite the years-long wait for tonight’s news, it is fitting that planning approval has come at such a consequential moment in the town’s history. The buildings are part of its past, but their sympathetic redevelopment is central to its future.
As the preliminary work begins, before more extensive visible work commences, I continue to support efforts to deliver a community-led museum and visitor centre in the North Mill, the oldest part of the site. This includes work to ensure the financial sustainability of such a venture.
Thank you to everyone who has worked to get us to this point. This includes Amber Valley Borough Council, Belper Town Council, EMCCA, Our Belper Mills, Belper North Mill Trust, the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site coordination team, Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust – and the site’s owner First Investment Real Estate Management.