Room with a view - riverside mill site up for sale

The 4.5 acre site at Stambridge Mills, in Mill Lane, will be listed by estate agent Dedman Gray as a freehold with existing industrial and employment use, or subject to planning consent for residential development.

It has already been earmarked for residential use by Rochford District Council and was previously subject to two applications from former land owner Inner London Group.

Mike Gray, of Dedman Gray, said: “The site has just come on the market, but we have already received a number of enquiries.

“They have been from both the residential housing sector and also some from those that may wish to continue with the existing use, in one way or another.

“It is certainly a wellknown site and opportunity, and we are expecting quite a few viewings over the next fewweeks.”

The company set up by the Inner London Group, to run applications for developments at Stambridge Mills and Star Lane Brickworks in Great Wakering, has gone into receivership.

Although the Star Lane site was sold to developer Taylor Wimpey, it was not able to sell Stambridge Mills and Dedman Gray is now selling the property on the receiver’s behalf. In 2010, ILD submitted an application to partially demolish some of the mills and redevelop others to create 28 houses and 135 flats.

This was followed in 2011 by another application to demolish all existing buildings and build 45 houses and four separate blocks totalling 51 flats.

Neither applications was passed and Rochford District councillor for planning, Ian Ward, said the site does pose some problems, but he is hopeful of a quick sale.

He said: “It is a brown field site and they can be very difficult to deliver on because of the cost of developing on them.

“But one of the most important things for us, is to bring on brownfield sites in preference to greenfield, even though we may not be able to provide our target of 35 per cent affordable housing in new developments.”