I am really pleased that last week, the Belper Mill’s planning application was approved.
But to ensure both the North Mill and the East Mill are properly regenerated, we need local heritage craft skills.
Richard Wood, the new chair of the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust, raised this to me at a recent meeting. Most construction workers are trained with modern building materials, rather than traditional materials like lime mortar.
We agreed that we need a bigger skill pool, and it is vital that this development is accompanied by solid apprenticeships, jobs for local people, and that those skills are retained in the community.
That’s why I asked the Prime Minister Keir Starmer today if the government would support training construction workers in heritage building techniques.
I am pleased that the Prime Minister confirmed that heritage construction courses would be included as part of the Government’s £1.2 billion investment in skills, apprenticeships, and its new technical excellence colleges. This includes Derby College, which was chosen last year as one of ten across the country – and the only one in the East Midlands.