On 29 September 2003 the Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council issued an Urgent Works Notice to Maltings Developments Ltd, the owners of Ditherington Flax Mill, the world’s first iron framed building. The urgent works will be jointly undertaken by English Heritage and the Council and will secure these derelict buildings and make them weathertight. These works, made possible by a grant of £140,000 from English Heritage, will make the buildings safe while plans for their long-term future are progressed.
English Heritage and Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council have been working together for some time to find a sustainable future for this nationally important historic mill and its associated buildings. The main building, Ditherington Flax Mill, is a Grade I listed building and widely regarded as the ancestor of the modern skyscraper. The site contains a range of other historic buildings listed at Grade II* and II.
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Ditherington Flax Mill was the first iron-framed building in the world. Built in 1797, its fireproof combination of cast iron columns and cast iron beams developed into the modern steel frame which made skyscrapers possible. Despite its global importance, the mill has stood empty since 1987 and is considered to be one of the most important buildings at risk of neglect and decay in England.
Since the buildings were left vacant in 1987, a series of owners have tried to find a viable future for them, without any success to date. Unfortunately over the years the buildings have fallen into a state of disrepair, with vandalism and water leaks in the roof resulting in damage to the buildings. The Flax Mill is now regarded as being at the top of English Heritage’s national 'Buildings at Risk' register.
In July 2003 the Council informed the current owners, Maltings Development Ltd, that they intended to issue a Full Repairs Notice. Such a notice can be served on an owner by a local council to conserve a listed building that has fallen into a serious state of disrepair. If the repair works are not undertaken, the Council can then issue a compulsory purchase order to acquire the building and undertake the works themselves. However, this process can take some time to achieve. In the meantime, if a building urgently requires work to keep it weathertight and secure until more permanent works can be undertaken, an Urgent Works notice can be issued. This notifies the owner of the intent for the Council to enter the site and undertake these urgent protection works themselves.
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