New housing estate for Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Milford Mills development site

More than 65 homes are set to be built within the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site. A revised redevelopment scheme of Milford Mills will see 69 new homes delivered on the historic site.

The site is accessed off Derby Road (A6) in the centre of Milford village, located between Belper and Duffield. The redevelopment of the former commercial premises will feature 42 two- and three-bedroom houses and 27 one- and two-bedroom apartments, within a four-storey building overlooking the River Derwent and Mill Lade.

Developer Wavensmere Homes has already spent over £250,000 on archaeological investigations on the site throughout 2023, while amending the original planning application to enable the 4.7-acre development to be gas-free and fully compliant with new building regulations.

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The houses will be installed with air-source heat pumps, while the apartments will have electric heating, with solar PV panels fitted to the roof of the building to generate renewable energy. The site will be further complemented by two acres of public open space and the recent restoration of the Grade II listed Dye House by Chevin Homes to form a 4,500 sq ft commercial premises.

Dating back to 1780, Milford Mills is a former cotton mill that housed some of the world’s first mechanised industrial spinning factories. The highly unique project will see the retention and restoration of numerous historic features from the former cotton mill, including the Mill Lade that now feeds a hydroelectric power plant downstream, the wheel pit and tail race that historically connected the mill to the River Derwent, along with the repair of all original stone boundary walls.

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