AN ELLAND mill is set for a new lease of life under the ownership of a Huddersfield-based development company.

Heritage Exchange, which runs the much-admired Heritage Exchange business and leisure complex at Wellington Mills, Oakes, is embarking on a major investment to replicate its success on the other side of the M62.

The company, led by managing director Mark Foster, is transforming a three-storey mill building at South Lane, Elland, to provide offices for rent, meeting rooms and a cafe under the Heritage Exchange Elland banner.

One floor of the mill will be turned into a disaster recovery suite – providing desks, computers and telephones for firms needing temporary offices in the event of their own premises being put out of action by fire, flooding or some other major incident. Firms will pay a fixed annual fee to secure space in the first-floor suite.

Heritage Exchange also expects to seek planning permission to turn the second floor of the 25,000sq ft mill into one and two-bed ‘serviced apartments’ for people who need to be based at the disaster recovery suite.

The ground floor will provide 5,000sq feet of offices with flexible lease aimed at small firms and start-ups. There will also be a basement cafe, a new reception area and extensive car parking.

The disaster recovery service is being headed by UK Response Ltd, which has moved from the Oakes site to base its operations at Elland.

The firm specialises in maintenance work on city centre buildings, industrial estates, shopping centres and offices.

UK Response clients have included major names such as HMV, British Waterways, British Airways, Sainsbury’s as well as hotels and restaurants.

The company is also working with property management agencies across West Yorkshire as well as the developer of massive Wellington Place development in Leeds.

Heritage Exchange’s revamp of Wellington Mills was nominated for the regeneration category of the 2008 Examiner Business Awards.