A BRIGHOUSE mill is to be turned into 134 flats.

Mill Royd Mill, on Huddersfield Road, will be converted at a cost of £15m to create a mix of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom homes.

Six floors will have 19 flats each and 20 will be housed on the seventh floor, most of which will have balconies.

The flats will cost between £60,000 and £200,000.

The disused 19th-century textile mill will also have a swimming pool, sauna and residents' gym on the ground floor, along with 36 parking places.

Outside the building, all other structures will be demolished, to make way for a 110- vehicle car park.

A new access route to the site will be created from Huddersfield Road, opposite Mill Royd Street.

The development, designed by Cartwright Pickard architects, will be renamed Mill Royd Island by Leeds-based developers Binks Vertical.

The mill site, once owned by Henry Cullingworths, was last occupied 18 months ago, when it was partly used as a textile warehouse.

Calderdale Council planning committee approved the project when it met at Halifax Town Hall on Tuesday.

But the decision flew in the face of public objections.

Forty-four letters of objection were sent to council planners by people from Huddersfield, Halifax, Bradford, Wakefield, Rotherham, Sheffield and Barnsley.

Only six letters were from Brighouse residents.

Objectors said new housing would add to congestion on Huddersfield Road and in the town centre.

A traffic survey from the developers was considered by the council's head of engineering and officers decided the traffic from the development would not be a problem.

Planners admit that new traffic lights would be needed when the new access is created.

But they say traffic would not be made worse.

However, objectors say the traffic survey information was out of date.

They also said the loss of Mill Royd Mill as an industrial site will mean firms might have to develop on green field sites.

They said the mill should have been marketed better as an industrial site while it was for sale, so that demand for business premises could be properly assessed.

But planners said the site was no good for modern firms. It was purpose-built for mill work and was too old-fashioned.

Their report said: "The proposals would contribute significantly to the regeneration of Brighouse and would preserve one of the town's landmark buildings."

The only letter of support for the plan - from Brighouse Regeneration Forum - echoed the planners' comments.

Work can start as soon as the council approves various details about the building work.

The developers also have to sign a legal agreement to provide affordable housing.

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