Shrewsbury Flax Mill Maltings Stage 3 Enabling Works

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situated on the northern edge of Shrewsbury, the internationally-important Flaxmill Maltings site reflects a time when Shropshire led the way in engineering innovation. The site comprises eight listed buildings, including the Main Mill, which was built in 1797 and, as the world's first iron-framed building, is the forerunner to all modern skyscrapers. After 100 years as a flax mill, the buildings were converted to use as a maltings in 1897. The site ceased trading in 1987 and became derelict. English Heritage (now Historic England) bought the site in 2005 and carried out emergency repairs to halt the site's further decline, ensuring all buildings are secure and weather-tight. Further information about the history and background of the site is available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/get-involved/visit/shrewsbury-flax-mill/ The Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings Project is Historic England's flagship rescue project, with work being carried out through a number of stages. Historic England completed an initial stage of the project in November 2015, when the new Visitor Centre was opened. The Main Mill & Kiln Project is the second and largest element of the site's rescue and regeneration. This will see the full repair and restoration of the Main Mill and the adjoining Kiln, with a heritage centre on the ground floor and four floors of offices. The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the major funder for this stage of the Project, with funding also from Historic England and Shropshire Council. The Marches LEP Enabling Works project focuses on the brownfield land surrounding the historic buildings, looking to remediate 2 hectares of former industrial land, and provide necessary infrastructure to unlock future new development - including 120 new residential units - and act as a catalyst for regenerating one of the more deprived areas in Shrewsbury. This work will see the enlargement of a roundabout and construction of a new access road, along with associated infrastructure work, at a cost of around £2m. It is intended that this work will commence in May 2020 and complete by December 2020.