Eyesore building set for demolition

Hartford Works - likely to go if development plans succeed

A RUN-DOWN area dominated by a derelict mill and blighted by vandalism and anti-social behaviour is to undergo a major regeneration.

Cabinet members agreed a plan to redevelop the land around the former Hartford Mill, next to the Freehold Metrolink stop.

An option to acquire the former cotton mill site in 2004 was put on hold after the Government stopped Housing Market Renewal (HMR) funding. Since then the owner has investigated other conversion options. The abandoned five-storey mill has meanwhile continued to blight the area.

The owner has now asked the council to transfer the land next to the site to him, to make the overall site more attractive to developers. Future regeneration plans are dependent on the site owner gaining planning permission for development of the entire plot.