Heaton Group forges ahead with Eckersley Mill conversion 

Having acquired the Wigan complex from Maryland Securities earlier this year, the developer has submitted proposals to transform one of the grade two-listed mill buildings into a 100,000 sq ft commercial and leisure complex. 

Under Heaton Group’s proposals, the ground floor of Mill 1 at the Eckersley Mill complex would be converted into a 22,000 sq ft food hall, featuring a series of individual stalls, and a bar.

The upper three floors would be converted into offices and a rooftop extension is also proposed, providing additional workspace. 

In total, just shy of 80,000 sq ft of office accommodation is proposed under Heaton Group’s plans. The mill’s third floor would be used as offices for the developer once complete, according to planning documents.

At present, the building is occupied by a mix of leisure, warehousing and retail uses. 

The project team for Heaton Group’s Eckersley Mill development includes Fletcher Rae as architect and Paul Butler Associates as planning consultant. 

The scheme forms part of a wider plan for the 15-acre Eckersley Mills and Swan Meadows site.

Before selling the site to Heaton Group, Maryland Securities won detailed planning consent to redevelop the site into a 1m sq ft mixed-use scheme in 2017. 

Those plans featured 315 homes, offices, commercial and cultural facilities, a new hotel, cafes and restaurants. 

Fletcher Rae is leading on design. Credit: via planning documents