New plans for Marsden New Mills include homes, shops and gym
New plans have been put together for the massive New Mills complex
Last updated 22nd Oct 2025
A way forward appears to have been found for a major Marsden development after initial plans hit a wall over viability issues.
Last year, a pre-application for the development of the New Mills complex off Brougham Road went to a meeting of Kirklees Council’s Strategic Planning Committee. Here, the meeting heard that despite a £5.6m cash boost from the government’s Levelling Up Fund and £11.7m in private sector funding, more money was needed for the development to go ahead.
At the time, several options were on the table with each of them found to be “unviable”. Now, after going back to the drawing board, new plans have been put together. They will be presented to the planning committee at their meeting on Thursday (October 23) in the shape of another pre-application, with formal planning permission yet to be applied for.
With reference to the diagram above, a brief summary of the current, preferred plans are as follows:
The eastern mill and tower (1 and A) would be retained
The northern part of the western mill and tower (20 and B) would be retained
Most of the buildings fronting Brougham Road (3 and 4) would be retained
The other buildings would be demolished, including building 7
The river would be de-culverted and bridge removed
A new employment-use building would be constructed between building 3 and the river
132 car parking spaces would be created
A new public realm would be created
The retained mill buildings would be weatherproofed for future mixed-use conversion
The development would include: 60 residential properties; a cafe/restaurant; a replacement Co-op; a residents-only gym; space for cycles and bins; car parking; units for light industrial use; and other facilities.
If all goes as intended, a hybrid planning application is expected to be submitted to the council in November. This would mean that some elements of the scheme would be seeking full planning permission, and others, outline planning permission – where further consents would need to be secured at a later date.
The report to this week’s meeting adds: “The site is currently under-used, and potentially offers great opportunities to deliver much-needed housing and employment floorspace at a large, accessible, brownfield location. The future of retained heritage assets could be secured as part of a development here.
“Development at the site may also play a role in addressing Marsden’s existing problems, and the vitality and viability of the adjacent district centre could be enhanced.”