Firm to replace 49 UPVC windows at listed textiles mill as they are harmful to heritage

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A textiles firm will replace 49 UPVC windows in a listed Edwardian mill which were installed without planning permission. Ruia Group, who run Kearsley Mill in Prestolee, Bolton, have published retrospective plans after they changed the windows at the heritage building without consent after a storm, during which falling glass and window frames wrote off a car and narrowly missed a worker.

The five-storey, Grade II-listed late period cotton spinning mill is described as ‘a rare example of an Edwardian textile mill that is still being operated in its original use’.

The retrospective planning application, submitted in the past week, describes the events leading up to the windows going in. READ MORE: Council REJECTS Greater Manchester housing masterplan - months after agreeing to it A planning statement, said: “During a storm in April 2017, a strong easterly wind blew out a window on the west side of the building on the fourth floor. “The wind rushing through the hole where the window was began to create a build-up in air pressure and blew two more windows out on the south side of the building. “These overlook the staff car park and two cars were damaged, one written off, and a staff member who was crossing the car park at the time had a near miss with one of the falling windows. “Given the seriousness of the incident and the potential for loss of life if any more windows were to blow out, we took the decision to install new windows as soon as possible. “It is our understanding that the previous maintenance manager did not realise that the windows were included as the original fabric of the building and therefore did not stop at just replacing the three windows that blew out but replaced a further 46 windows that were