Two historic West Yorkshire mills have undergone a transformation to create 75,000sq ft of office accommodation.

The two buildings - at Dean Clough in Halifax – were built in the 1840s and had been disused since the early 1950s.

Now they provide the offices for 600 employees of local employer Covéa Insurance following major refurbishment by Sheffield-based contractor and developer JF Finnegan.

Dean Clough, once the world’s largest carpet factory, is home to more than 4,000 people working in more than 140 businesses, including ones in retail and leisure.

The 22-acre site is also one of Yorkshire’s most prominent arts centres with galleries, a theatre and studios hosting a range of comedy and music events and exhibitions.

The renovation of the last two major mills at Dean Clough has restored a link between the east and west sides of the historic site – clearing the way for an investment in improved traffic management and assisting Dean Clough’s burgeoning retail and leisure activities.

Two new restaurants are scheduled to open in the coming months, while Arts Council-funded developments have just been completed in the Victoria Sheds and are under way in the famous underground Viaduct Theatre.

Plans for residential accommodation at Dean Clough are expected to follow.

Gary Smith, managing director of JF Finnegan, said: “We are delighted to have completed the restoration of the mills and to have created unique, high quality work space for a thriving local employer.

“We drew on our extensive experience of working on historic buildings such as Butcher Works and Wards Exchange in Sheffield to ensure the project was sensitively conducted and we have already received incredibly positive feedback from the client and occupier.”

Jeremy Hall, chairman and managing director of Dean Clough Ltd, said; “We are thrilled to announce completion of the newly restored A and B mills for Covéa Insurance.

“The redevelopment will bring an incredible boost to the activity and dynamism of the site.”

He said: “We are now looking ahead to the next stages of works to further enhance the Dean Clough experience to ensure that we retain our reputation as a great place for people to work and visit.”