Appeal launched to turn spinning mill into hotel, cricket club and houses

Plans were submitted by Stephen Chicken from SCPi Bowland Ltd to change the Grade II-listed Kirk Mill in Chipping but were thrown out by Ribble Valley Council in November 2014.

The application, which also included a new cricket ground and more than 50 houses, will now be reviewed.

Mr Chicken has also submitted another application in case the appeal fails which reduces the number of houses on the cricket pitch to 42.

Earlier this year members of the cricket club raised more than £5,000 to take the developer to a land tribunal in an attempt to stay at its Old Hive Ground of 65 years.

After the hearing was postponed a round-table meeting was held and an agreement was reached in principle for the club to move to another site.

Mr Chicken said: “It has been a very long process and we had originally reached this decision a while ago.

“It has wasted a lot of time and the only people who seem to have won are the lawyers.

“When the planning application was rejected it was very disappointing as it had been recommended for approval by the planning officers. I hope that the next stage of this project goes a lot smoother.”

The Arkwright-type spinning mill first began production in the 1780s, making it one of the oldest surviving cotton mills in the world.

It took the place of an existing corn mill with records for the building dating back to 1544.

The former HJ Berry factory has lain empty since 2010 when the 170-year-old furniture manufacturer closed.

Cllr Simon Hore, who represents the village on Ribble Valley Council, said: “I’m aware of the revised planning application being submitted and I will be very interested to see the full details. The last application was something like 1,300 pages and I assume this will be similar. I want to know what is the same and what is different.

“This will be something that the residents will be very interested in seeing the full information when it all comes out.”