Thank you to John Smedley Ltd for an enjoyable afternoon last month at the unveiling ceremony for their restored 18th century cottages. The Grade II Listed cottages have been saved by the company from a state of substantial disrepair using monies generated from the ‘East Site’ planning application. Those involved in the project, including ourselves and Evans Vetorri Architects, were invited to look around the newly restored terrace and celebrate their completion.
Planning & Design were instructed as planning consultants (alongside Evans Vettori Architects) to deliver a complex set of proposals for redevelopment, conversion and part demolition of surplus land and buildings at John Smedley Ltd, the last working textile mill in the Derwent Valley World Heritage Site and the “oldest manufacturing factory in the world”.
Development was needed to secure a beneficial future use for the land and buildings and to support the company’s development and expansion. The scheme included the renovation of three late 18th century Grade II Listed cottages which were in a very poor state of repair and on the “heritage at risk” register.
John Smedley ltd has been producing textiles in a quiet corner of rural Derbyshire for the last 237 years. Originally established as a cotton mill, but a wool spinning mill for most of its history, John Smedley can claim to be the oldest continuously manufacturing factory in the world.
Planning & Design Practice Ltd are a team of planners and Architects, based in Derby and Sheffield, who specialise in heritage projects. We recognise that historic buildings and landscapes are intrinsic to our sense of place and identity, and have considerable experience of developments involving Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and World Heritage sites.