News
Ireland’s oldest linen mill gets green light for landmark regeneration plans after 13 years
Acting on behalf of JHT (Upperlands) Ltd, Turley has helped to secure approval for plans to deliver a heritage-led regeneration proposal at the William Clark & Sons mill at Upperlands, Maghera.
We provided expert Planning and Strategic Communications services on the project which has been granted planning permission after more than a decade in the Northern Ireland planning system. The plans which are being brought forward by JHT (Upperlands) Ltd, a subsidiary of JH Turkington & Sons Ltd, were given the green light as part of the former Department for Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon’s, final determination of planning decisions while in office.
The landmark mixed-use proposals will be the first heritage-led enabling project of this scale to be approved in Northern Ireland. The proposals balance the restoration and refurbishment of this historic complex with a sensitively designed residential component. The proposals provide for 210 new homes, 66 apartments created by refurbishing the former mill buildings and 144 new build units. The residential use will be complemented by leisure and recreational uses and community facilities including exhibition space and critically the provision of industrial facilities in keeping with the long standing tradition of manufacturing on the site.
Trevor Turkington, JHT (Upperlands) Ltd, commented:
“We welcome this long-awaited decision to approve the exciting plans to regenerate this complex. We are committed to delivering a vision that will provide adaptable and sustainable long-term viable uses for this unique site and its buildings and support the existing employment use on site.”
The application for the scheme was first submitted to the Department for the Environment in 2009 and was subject to a hearing at the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) in November 2021 before receiving a recommendation for approval in the PAC’s independent assessment in January 2022.
Angela Wiggam, Planning Director said:
“We commend our client and the consultancy team on their enduring commitment to see this application approved. The collective and steadfast investment over the last thirteen years is testament to a shared confidence in the value of preserving this site. We hope this decision will set a precedent for the delivery of future heritage-led regeneration in Northern Ireland."
To this day, the site remains in use by textile company William Clark & Sons which was founded in Upperlands in 1736.
Work is expected to commence on site from 2024.
14 April 2022