Wavensmere Homes has commenced construction to redevelop Milford Mills, which overlooks the River Derwent, located between Belper and Duffield in north Derbyshire.
The £22m development will comprise 69 new homes to be delivered on the historic brownfield site, which is within the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site. Accessed off Derby Road (A6) in the centre of Milford village, the redevelopment of 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.
Ground and site enabling works across the 4.7-acre site are underway, with the first phase of construction to incorporate 10, two- and three-bedroom houses, priced from £265,000 to £440,000. Constructed from locally quarried stone and natural slate, these homes are now available to reserve and will be ready to move into during autumn 2026. A second phase of 15 three-bedroom houses will be completed before the end of 2026. The handover of the waterside apartment building and the full redevelopment, restoration and construction programme is scheduled to conclude by mid-2027.
James Dickens, Managing Director of Wavensmere Homes, said: “Locals have been waiting for many years to see this unique and prominent site – in the centre of one of North Derbyshire’s most well-regarded villages – get the green light for redevelopment. Milford’s beautiful rural setting, community spirit, and easy access to Derby and the Peak District, makes it very desirable. But the chronic shortage of homes has led to people moving out of the area to find suitable housing.
“Milford Mills’ 69 energy-efficient houses and apartments will cater to first time buyers, families and downsizers. We are proud that local craftsmanship and our fine attention to detail will create a highly sustainable development that will add to the village’s vibrancy and appeal. With these natural stone homes becoming available to reserve, we are urging interested parties to register on our website.”
The high specification 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 1.5-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.
The former 18th Century cotton mill housed some of the world’s first mechanised industrial spinning factories. The historic features that are being painstakingly restored include the Mill Lade that now feeds a hydroelectric power plant downstream, along with the repair of all original stone boundary walls.
Milford village offers local amenities including the Elephant and Peacock bar and restaurant, Strutt Arms hotel, schooling, and an array of scenic countryside walks. The neighbouring village of Duffield – with Ecclesbourne Secondary School – is a mile away, while the market town of Belper is under two miles from the development. There are train stations at both Duffield and Belper offering frequent services across the region and beyond. Derby city centre is 6.5 miles away via the A6, which is the main road into Milford.
The UNESCO world heritage site was inscribed in 2001 in recognition of the importance of the Derwent Valley’s water-powered industries to the Industrial Revolution and the universal significance of the River Derwent textile mills. The UNESCO zone runs from Derby in the south to Matlock in the north. Milford Mills straddles the centralising spine of the River Derwent, critical to the area’s growth and current character, as it bends northwards to the main vehicular route of Derby Road.
Wavensmere Homes has become one of Derby’s most prominent residential developers, with the multi-award-winning Nightingale Quarter regarded one of the finest regeneration and restoration assets in the region. The former Derby Royal Infirmary on London Road – which had laid derelict for a decade – has been transformed into a vibrant new community, including over 900 houses and apartments.
The Birmingham-headquartered housebuilder recently commenced work on site to redevelop Friar Gate Goods Yard in Derby city centre. The nationally significant £75m mixed-use project will reanimate two landmark Grade II listed buildings into over 110,000 sq ft of commercial space, alongside 276 new build homes.
Across the city on Full Street, work will soon start at Wavensmere and Wilson Bowden Developments’ £30m redevelopment of one of the final plots of vacant land within Derby’s newly revitalised Cathedral Quarter. 195 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments will be delivered at ‘Cathedral One’ within a finely detailed u-shaped nine-storey red brick building at the former police station site.
Wavensmere Homes has other major urban regeneration schemes located in central Birmingham, Cheltenham, Ipswich, and Wolverhampton, with further projects across middle England in the immediate pipeline. The Edgbaston-headquartered housebuilder has around 3,500 new homes either under construction or in planning.
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