My Barnoldswick & Earby Times, Colne Times and Nelson Leader Column for Friday 10th August 2018…
As those who live or drive through Brierfield will have seen the old Smith & Nelson Mills are undergoing a major transformation.
The £32 million transformation of Brierfield Mills into Northlight is seeing work underway on several areas. Recent developments include solving a delay to the new leisure facilities, the relocation of the county’s biggest adult learning provider and the construction of a new arts facility which is ahead of schedule.
The leisure facilities will be run by Burnley FC in the Community, the club’s official charity. There was a hold up with Sport England releasing a grant, but I took this up and all the funding is now in place. This has caused a three-month delay, but work is proceeding and there should be no further delays.
Lancashire Adult Learning College have taken over what used to be the Mill’s 20,000 sq ft office block, directly opposite Brierfield train station. The college has relocated from Chorley, bringing new jobs and additional education and skills training opportunities to the heart of Brierfield. I was delighted to bring Anne Milton MP, the Minister for Skills and Apprenticeships, to Lancashire Adult Learning back in February.
Earlier this year, I organised a visit for the Chief Executive of the Arts Council to see how the arts group In-Situ are using a £348,000 grant to develop a building for artists at Northlight with an art library, open-air cinema, gallery, workshop and performance area. This is well ahead of schedule and should be complete by November.
Meanwhile, Pendle Borough Council have completed all the compulsory purchase orders for the adjoining buildings which have all been demolished. Work has started on the 42 residential units in the front section of the mill. There will also be 15,000 sq ft of managed office space on the ground floor, all to be completed by the end of next year.
This is a project I have been working on for a long time, bringing many Government Ministers to the site and helping secure millions in funding for its redevelopment. It has only been possible because the Government provided Pendle Council with £1.5 million to buy the site outright in 2012, securing the future of this building hopefully for generations to come. I am delighted to see good progress being made across the site.
