PLANS to use a historic Grade II listed mill outside Keighley as a venue for weddings and other parties have been approved by Bradford Council.
The proposals call for the Ponden Mill in Stanbury to be used as a venue in addition to its current use for outdoor activities.
Inside the building, the kitchen and toilets are being remodeled to create a large dining and event area and a new bar that can be used for events.
The building is currently used as a hub for outdoor activities and serves as a base for Pennine Way walkers, campers, outdoor yoga classes, archery, charity events and for participants in the Duke of Edinburgh.
It also has a café that caters mainly to campers and hikers, as well as some bed and breakfast rooms.
With the new authorizations, everything that is currently taking place can continue, but weddings, birthday parties and other events can now also be carried out in the mill.
Pond Mill at Stanbury. Image: Google Street View
The toilets have been relocated to a “leaning” area of the mill that has been restored and repaired to make room for the facilities, and the kitchen will also be relocated to this area.
Relocating the toilets allowed a bar to be created for the dining area, with a space previously used for staff meetings to store barrels and other bar items.
The changes will increase the use of the mill without making major changes to the building.
The Ponden Mill is a Grade I listed building that was built as a cotton mill in 1791, with a chimney added in 1825 when the mill was converted from hydro to steam.
It was one of the earliest cotton mills built in Yorkshire, the filing says, and is “probably the best remaining early example”.
The conversion to a wedding location is the latest step in the redevelopment of Ponden Mill, which fell into disrepair and fell into disrepair during its heyday in 2008 following the demise of the Ponden Mill retail chain, which has operated on the site since the 1970s and attracted 600 people.
Since then, it has been carefully restored to preserve its historical features and use it for events
The plans stated: “People want to come to Ponden Mill because it is a historic and beautiful place, they want to be able to use and appreciate it.
“The overall purpose of the project was to save the mill that we reached, and weddings are a logical addition to a beautiful building.
“One of the reasons for its success is that it is very isolated and, with massive stone walls almost a meter thick and small windows, very little noise can be heard inside the building itself.
“The river also creates background noise that drowns out other local noises.”
The building also has ample parking so that on-street parking does not put too much pressure on the surrounding streets.
It adds, “In addition to the obvious benefit of increased employment at Ponden Mill, we will be bringing many local businesses into our operations and encouraging event attendees to stay on-site and take the Keighley Worth Valley Railway.”
Bradford Council said the plans “secure the future of a Grade I listed building and help support the local economy”.