Walk Mills, Keighley
Mid 18th century mill to be demolished in Keighley:
(forgive the quality of the image. There doesn’t seem to be any images of this building outside of Google Street View. Lets hope it is properly recorded before being smashed up)
Whilst reading the heritage statement (which always seem to have been complied by a wrecking ball salesmen), I noticed the reference to a pre-application meeting. Frankly, if a planning application comes forward following pre-application negotiations, then a decision has already been made, and the democratic right to publicly comment is devoid of meaning.
When a developer has sat around a table with council officers, having paid a grand for the privilege, they expect to get an expeditious planning approval.
So the fate of this remarkable building is already sealed. I will comment, and urge others to do so as well, however, the machinations within local government that will lead to the demise of this mill have been concluded.
I recommend reading the heritage assessment, as it is fascinating to see how ‘heritage experts’ justify the loss of an assets like this with exceptionally tenuous arguments.
NB – also a big loss to the setting of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, which runs alongside this mill complex.
The Demolition Register 