PLANS to use a historic listed mill outside Keighley as a venue to host weddings and other parties have been granted by Bradford Council.
The proposals will see Ponden Mill in Stanbury be used as an events venue, in addition to its current use for outdoor activities.
Internal changes to the building will be made to move the kitchen and toilets to create a large dining and events area and a new bar so the space can be used to host events.
The building is currently used as a hub for outdoor activities, serving as a base for Pennine Way walkers, campers, outdoor yoga classes, archery, charity events and for Duke of Edinburgh participants.
It also has a café which mainly serves campers and walkers, and also has some bed and breakfast rooms.
The new permissions mean that everything currently taking place can continue, but now weddings, birthday parties and other events can also be held in the mill.
The toilets have been moved to a ‘lean-to’ area of the mill which has been restored and repaired to make space for the facilities, and the kitchen will also be moved into this area.
Moving the toilets has allowed a bar to be created serving the dining area, with a room previously used for staff meetings to be used for storage of kegs and other bar items.
The changes will see usage of the mill increase with no major changes to the building.
Ponden Mill is a Grade-II listed building that was constructed in 1791 as a cotton mill, with a chimney added in 1825 when the mill converted from water power to steam power.
It was one of the earliest cotton mills built in Yorkshire, the application said, and is “probably the best remaining early example”.
The change to a wedding venue is the latest step in the regeneration of Ponden Mill, which fell into disrepair and was left derelict in 2008 following the demise of the Ponden Mill retail chain which has run at the site since the 1970s, attracting 600 people a day during its heyday.
It has since been carefully restored to retain its historic features to be used for events
In the plans, it said: “People want to come to Ponden Mill because it is an historic and beautiful place, they want to be able to use it and appreciate it.
“The overall purpose of the project was to save the mill which we achieved, and weddings are a logical additional use for a beautiful building.
“One of the reasons for its success is it is located in a very isolated position, and with solid stone walls that are almost three feet thick and small windows very little sound escapes the building itself.
“The river also generates background noise which drowns out other noises onsite.”
The building also has extensive parking space so would not create major pressure on surrounding roads through on-street parking.
It adds: “Aside from the obvious benefit of increased employment at Ponden Mill we will also include many local businesses in our activities, and we will encourage people attending events to stay locally and to arrive by using the Keighley Worth Valley Railway.”
Bradford Council said the plans “assure a listed building’s future and help support the local economy”.
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