RUMOURS that Greenroyd Mill in Sutton-in-Craven is to be sold for housing have been denied this week.

Alastair McDowell, a partner at Gargrave-based Westlake & Co chartered surveyors, which acts as agent for the mill owner, told the Herald the company's main priority at the moment was leasing floor space in the mill.

No planning applications had been submitted for the property.

However, he did say that he could not deny that consideration was constantly being given to the future of the mill.

"But that has been the situation for the last 10 years or so," he added.

Mr McDowell went on to say that the catalyst to these rumours has been the fact that the mill is going to become largely vacant.

He explained that two of the main occupiers of the mill were moving out.

Beny Sports Co. UK Ltd, suppliers of gym equipment, were due to relocate to The Crossings business park in Kildwick, while another business DB Fancy Yarns, which is an off-shoot of a Wakefield-based textile company, were moving their operations back to Wakefield.

Mr McDowell said this would leave a large part of the mill unoccupied, but added that Westlake & Co would be offering this space to other companies to lease.

"We are looking for new tenants. This mill has about 77,000 square feet and it's good cheap space," he added.

Mr McDowell stated that around nine or 10 small firms still occupied space at the mill.

The rumours about the mill's future intensified with the news that Sutton-in-Craven Conservation Group had been told to stop work at the site.

In the space of around 18 months, the group restored the dam, rebuilt its culvert enabling it to be refilled with water.

Before the group's involve-ment, the mill's drained dam acted as a magnet to local fly tippers.

However, Tim Cole, of the group explained that the only reason the group had stopped their conservation work at the mill was due to problems with insurance.

He said that the group had been struggling to get cover due to the amount of water involved and the owner's insurers were concerned about any possible flooding incident.

When asked his feelings about the mill being converted into housing sometime in the future, Mr Cole said that when he had visited the mill recently, he had noticed that many of the mill's windows had been smashed and that it was deteriorating in condition.

He added that he would have no problem with the mill being converted into flats or houses in the future if it was done sympathetically and the dam was considered in the plans.

"It could quite easily become a real focal point for Sutton," he commented.