Saving Flitwick Mill

Sign the petition to save Flitwick Mill

Flitwick Mill is one of the few remaining buildings of historic significance in Flitwick. There are references to a water mill on the site in the Doomsday Book. It is now the only surviving water mill on the River Flit, with features that make it locally and nationally unique.

Flitwick Mill was designated Listed Grade II in 1961, when it was still a working mill meeting the needs of local farmers, milling continued until the 1980s. Much of the machinery still remains intact and provides a remarkable and unique record of the evolution of milling practice over the last 200 years.

Recent surveys of the fabric of the building confirm that it is deteriorating rapidly. Water from the mill race is running through the walls and causing serious damage. The building has not been maintained to an appropriate standard, as required for a listed building.

It has been proposed that the mill be converted into a domestic residence and planning permission has been applied for to do so. Whilst this would preserve the external appearance with some modifications and also conserve much of the machinery as static, cased exhibits within the private house, it would destroy its spirit and essence as a working mill, and remove the possibility of future restoration and access as a heritage amenity for Flitwick and the wider community.

In October 2008 Mid Bedfordshire District Council Members decided to defer to January 2009 a decision on whether to approve the planning application in the face of increasing objections by local residents’ groups and by national heritage bodies. A challenge was issued that in this interim period, a viable alternative to a domestic dwelling should be sought.

It is envisaged that, once restored, there is the capacity for the Mill to serve as a heritage centre and visitor attraction encompassing; demonstrations of milling and renewable energy technology, educational activities for local schools and adults, an information centre for visitors to Flitwick and Flitton Moors, local community facilities with meeting rooms, exhibition/gallery space, office space and a tea room.

A Charitable Trust needs to be established to purchase and restore the Mill as a working entity. This will only be possible if planning permission for conversion to a domestic dwelling is refused and it is made clear by Mid Bedfordshire District Council that no such application would be approved in future.

The most pressing need is to carry out emergency repairs, costing approximately £5K to prevent water from the mill race penetrating the walls. This will give the time needed to carry out a full structural survey, make a submission to English Heritage to have the Mill raised to Grade II*, complete the preparation of a Business Plan, and begin the process of applying for grant funding.

Additionally the Friends of Flitwick Mill see its future firmly set in the context of its immediate surroundings and the catchment area of the River Flit as a whole. The Mill is situated on the outskirts of Flitwick close to Flitwick Moor, a nationally important Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the heart of the Flit Valley. The moor is owned severally, although the majority is owned and managed by the Wildlife Trust. This is a superb, but fragile wetland, created by a combination of peat cutting and the naturally iron-rich groundwater bubbling up to the surface from springs.

Protecting and conserving historic places within the Flit Valley adds a sense of past and future for the local community to enjoy including the historic Manor Park, Old School and Ruxox Farm moat at Flitwick and the De Grey Mausoleum, Flitton alongside Flitwick Mill.

The trust would propose to maintain the sluices at the mill in a good state of repair and to work with the Internal Drainage Board to operate the sluices to control and manage the river at critical times. It is important to manage flooding upstream for local housing and agricultural land and downstream for the moors. This would maintain the mills historic tradition of managing the water flow for hundreds of years.

For more information, please see the full proposal and indicative floor plans.