Demolition is the only option for Caerlee Mill following an application to build a bike center after structural issues.
The mill shut down in 2013. Now, someone wants to tear it down and has sent a request to the council for approval. They want to build a bike center worth £19m.
This center should make £100m. It may also create 400 jobs. They planned to fix the mill at first, but the building had too many problems, so the plan changed because of structural issues.
The mill site is not dangerous now, as they cleaned it and made it safe. However, issues were worse than expected, and experts say most of the old building must be replaced, which would cost too much money.
They want to keep the chimney and boiler house. Ferguson Planning made the request with the goal to build the bike center. It will use government money and give new life to the old site.
They tried to save the mill, but costs kept rising, and the building got worse. So, they had to change the plans. The applicant and past owners tried selling the site.
Fixing the mill costs too much and the building’s layout is also a problem. It is too expensive for any project, they say. Demolishing it is now the only option, in their view.
The Borderlands Growth Deal started in 2021. The UK and Scotland invested £350 million. Scotland gets £150 million. England gets up to £200 million. Local partners will add £100 million.