‘It is highly unusual for the Culture Secretary to reject the advice of Historic England’

A national heritage group has called on the government to explain in detail why the fire-ravaged Hotspur Press building was refused listed status. Partial demolition of the former Medlock Mill which dates from at least 1801 is due to take place this weekend.

It was badly damaged in a blaze on June 23. SAVE Britain’s Heritage has submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Department of Culture Media and Sport, asking why Secretary of State Lisa Nandy turned down the listing proposal which had been strongly supported by Historic England – itself an arms length government department.

Three heritage groups, including SAVE, requested a review of Ms Nandy’s decision in February. The outcome of that is still pending.

The Cambridge Street property has been empty since 1996. It is symbolic of the tensions between those riding the wave of a property boom in the city and the country’s defenders of historic bricks and mortar.

In the last 25 years it has been the subject of several ill-fated plans including one in 2020 to build a 28-storey tower around the building, officially called Medlock Mill. That secured planning permission but never came to fruition.

The latest developers Manner took over in December 2023 and got the council’s approval last summer to build a 36-storey student housing tower, with space for 595 bedrooms, plus a new public square all while retaining the press’ façade and signage.

The scheme stalled after an unknown individual applied for it to be a listed building, stopping work from starting.

In spring this year they requested permission to make various changes to the approved plans, including giving the tower ‘a more contemporary aesthetic’.

The approved brick cladding would be replaced with an aluminium façade, which will be cheaper to deliver and ensure the £124m project remains viable.

The change in materials is meant to create a greater contrast between the existing mill building and the new tower and allows The Hotspur Press to remain the dominant feature at street level, says Manner.

Following the fire, Manchester council is keen that as much of the mill building as possible can be retained.

SAVE submitted a Freedom of Information request asking the Secretary of State to reveal her reasons for not listing Medlock Mill against the recommendation of the government’s statutory adviser on the historic environment, Historic England.

“It is highly unusual for the Culture Secretary to reject the advice of Historic England,” said SAVE’s conservation officer Lydia Franklin.

“There’s a principle at stake here that goes far beyond this one building. We urge the Secretary of State to make her reasons public.”

SAVE, the Georgian Group and other national heritage groups strongly supported listing the building in recognition of its exceptional significance as ‘potentially the oldest standing textile mill in Manchester’.

In a statement SAVE said: “Following the Secretary of State’s decision not to list the mill in January 2025, we joined forces with leading national heritage organisations to call for a review of the decision.

“We understand that this review is underway, and we have requested an update on its status. There is no statutory timeframe for listing reviews.”

The review was underway when the fire broke. Listing a review would not put a stop to works to the building, as there were no interim heritage protections on the building.

Listing Medlock Mill, as Historic England strongly recommended, would make sure that the changes to this historic mill were sensitive to its importance.

Three influential guardians of the UK’s buildings heritage mounted a new challenge to the view that: “the Medlock Mill (Hotspur Press) building does not possess the special historic or architectural interest to merit listing under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.”

Historic England strongly recommended listing regardless of this uncertainty as either the ‘oldest or second oldest’ cotton mill in Manchester, identifying it as a ;significant survival of the city’s early textile industry’.

Asked by the Manchester Evening News what Ms Nandy’s reasons for deciding the historic mill should not be listed and when the review of her decision would be announced, a spokesperson for the Department of Culture Media and Sport said: “We have received the requests to review this decision. These are currently being considered, and we will update interested parties further in due course.”

The cause of the fire is still to be established as investigations by the fire service and police have been delayed due to the priority of making the site safe first.

Two petitions have been launched, one demanding the mill be rebuilt and the other urging the preservation of what survives.