Some of the houses will have bridges over ‘sunken’ gardens below
16:44, 12 Nov 2025Updated 16:44, 12 Nov 2025
The proposed Lumsdale Mill conversion and newbuild plans(Image: Matthew Montague Architects)
An historic 300-year-old Derbyshire mill will be converted into apartments with new houses built in its grounds.
At a Derbyshire Dales District Council meeting last night (Tuesday, November 11), councillors unanimously approved plans from private landowner Mark Lee for the renovation of Lumsdale Mill, near Matlock, into 11 apartments alongside 12 new-build houses.
This was despite concerns from more than 20 residents living adjacent to the site that the redevelopment would lead to increased flooding and sewer overflows, privacy issues, highways safety implications, tree loss and wildlife disruption.
Councillors sealed a condition that the regeneration of the former mill complex, which is said to be in a dilapidated condition and has been hit by thieves, is completed before the construction of the new-build houses.
Seven of the new-build homes would be three-storeys tall with a garage as a ground floor and first floor bridge across “sunken” rear gardens to further garden space on the steep sloping site.
A number of houses will have first floor bridges over ‘sunken’ gardens to further raised gardens(Image: Matthew Montague Architects)
The developers will not be providing any affordable housing or open space on the brownfield site, but will be giving money for this to be provided elsewhere in the district – £314,000 for affordable homes, £3,900 for children’s play areas, £3,400 for open space improvements and £1,400 for allotments.
Neil Richards, an opposing nearby resident, said the scheme would cause “serious harm” to people’s enjoyment of existing homes around the site, primarily due to a perceived loss of privacy, overlooking and overshadowing.
Stephen Burgess, who lives next to the mill, said it would take tens of years for new trees to provide the same cover as those which are to be cut down to enable the redevelopment.
He claimed mitigation suggested by residents had been “ignored”.
Cllr Jo Linthwaite, a district councillor, said the sewer in Lumsdale was already overloaded with the system often leading to raw sewage leaking out of manhole covers.
The system leads to Websters Terrace she said and this has seen the system overflow into the Bentley Brook 41 times for a total of 212 hours in 2022, increasing to 76 times and 440 hours in 2024.
Cllr Linthwaite, who supported the restoration of the site, said: “The addition of another 23 homes on the Lumsdale Mill site can only exacerbate the existing and worsening situation.”
She claimed Severn Trent was “turning a blind eye” to the issues.
Cllr David Burton, chairing the meeting, said the council as a whole ought to consider lobbying Severn Trent over sewer issues.
Matthew Montague, agent for the application, said many of the mill buildings were “redundant and no longer fit for purpose for business use”, with “ongoing maintenance issues, proving impossible to let”.
He said: “Our view was that a sensitive scheme of refurbishment and redevelopment could provide a high quality residential development which would preserve the original structures and the character of the former bleachworks site and enhance the surroundings.
“This really is a great opportunity to ensure the future of this group of buildings and provide 23 homes on a brownfield site.”
He said drainage from the site would be drastically improved through the redevelopment, with water to leave the site at around half the current rate.
Mr Montague said “thieves” had been breaking into the site leaving live wires, which he said could lead to serious injuries or death.
He said: “We really need to press on with this development in order to occupy the buildings and eliminate this danger.
“The creation of 11 characterful apartments and 12 new dwellings give the opportunity to create a vibrant new micro-community in Lumsdale breathing life back into the mill buildings, ensuring their long-term future providing much needed housing and making great use of a brownfield site.”
Edward Vaudin, planning officer for the council, said the site was technically in the open countryside due to being outside the settlement boundary, making new homes non-compliant with policies, but said this offset by regeneration of a brownfield site.
Cllr Burton said the scheme was “very significant” and councillors were “very anxious to get this right”.
Cllr David Hughes said the scheme “could be a very nice development indeed” but had concerns about residents needing to drag their bins throughout the site to bin collection points at each entrance on the narrow Lumsdale hill.
Cllr Sue Burfoot supported the move to have the mill regeneration completed first, before the new-builds.
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