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Regeneration of the Anchor Mill Complex
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Paisley is a 19th century boom town, founded on the mass production of cotton thread heralded by the industrial revolution. Anchor Mills, a 7 hectare complex located at the heart of the town, played a significant role in establishing Paisley as a world leader in thread manufacture.
The winding down of the industry post WW2 led to the closure of the Mills in the late 1980’s.
The winding down of the industry post WW2 led to the closure of the Mills in the late 1980’s.
The closure left a significant vacant site with over 40 empty and derelict buildings, many of which were listed. The complex has since been the subject of a comprehensive regeneration strategy which has established residential, business and retail uses at the site.
Comprehensive redevelopment
The attached plan illustrates the land uses established within the site as a result of the regeneration strategy.
Plan of Regeneration of Anchor Mill Complex (pdf - 2.03MB). You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this document. Download Acrobat Reader here.
To the east of the complex, the category ‘A’ listed Mile End Mill has been converted into a business centre. A residential development of 106 homes, together with a riverside walkway and wildlife corridor, has also taken place to the east of the site.
To the west of the site, a 60,000 sq ft Morrisons foodstore has been developed. The planning consent granted for the foodstore was tied to a legal agreement which enabled restoration of the landmark category ‘A’ listed Domestic Finishing Mill, which Morrisons had purchased as part of their development site.
Under the legal agreement, Morrisons contributed £2.8M to the restoration of the Finishing Mill and disposed of the building to the Princes’ Regeneration Trust, a charitable organisation which refurbishes nationally important listed buildings. The Trust amplified the funds in their role as a charitable trust and a unique public private partnership was then formed to assemble the remainder of the £12M funding package and take the project forward. Additional funding and technical expertise was provided by Historic Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and the council. Restoration works commenced in 2003 and the building was officially opened by HRH The Prince of Wales in June 2005. The building provides 60 high quality homes and 2,000 square metres of business space.
Before
After
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Seedhill Footbridge
The penultimate project undertaken as part of the regeneration strategy was the restoration of the Seedhill Footbridge, located to the south east of the Domestic Finishing Mill.
The Category B listed bridge, which has a very close historical, visual and functional relationship with the Mill, was unused and had fallen into a state of disrepair.
The Category B listed bridge, which has a very close historical, visual and functional relationship with the Mill, was unused and had fallen into a state of disrepair.
The project restored the bridge to current technical standards and replaced the structure one metre above its present height to meet flood prevention requirements. Implemented through the same unique partnership which successfully restored the Finishing Mill, the £560,000 project was funded on a partnership basis. The main financial contributors to the project were Morrisons and Historic Scotland. The bridge was formally opened by Sir Kenneth Morrison CBE in September 2008.
Anchor Mill Gatehouse
The final part of the strategy is the restoration of the Anchor Mill Gatehouse. The Gatehouse forms a key entrance to the former Mill complex, lying immediately north of the Finishing Mill. The Category ‘B’ listed building changed ownership on several occasions following the closure of the Mills in the 1980’s and the condition of the building deteriorated badly during this time.
The council initially sought to negotiate with the owners to secure and improve the condition of the building. When this failed, a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process was initiated in 2006, to enable the council to take ownership of the building and seek an appropriate owner and use. This was approved by the Scottish Government in April 2007.
The council took ownership of the building in early 2008 and reached agreement to dispose of the building to the owner and operator of the Mile End Mill and office space within the Finishing Mill. Works to refit the property for office use are underway and are anticipated to be complete towards the end of 2008.
Completion of the regeneration strategy
The restoration of the Anchor Mill Gatehouse will complete a highly successful, long term regeneration strategy for the Anchor Mill complex. The strategy has not only established a range of new uses at a large vacant site in the heart of the town centre, but sensitively restored a number of landmark listed buildings which have a deep rooted link with the residents of Paisley. As such, the completion of the project acts as a symbol of the continuing regeneration of the town.
To find out more about the project from the council's planning division:
- email : pt@renfrewshire.gov.uk
- phone: 0141 842 5811/5822
- fax: 0141 842 5040
- visit or write to:
Planning and Transport
Renfrewshire House
Cotton Street
Paisley
PA1 1LL
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