Council’s 25-year lease of historic Marsh Mill set to come to an end

Historic Marsh Mill’s 25-year lease by Wyre Council is set to come to an end. The 18th century mill is currently covered with scaffolding as the council carries out the remaining maintenance repairs needed before the lease ends on June 30.

Mill owners, property developers Melrose Development Services, have been leasing the historic structure to Wyre Council for the past 25 years, ever since buying the property from the council for a cool £1,410,000. During that time, the council maintained the building and for a time the mill was open to the public as a museum-style attraction.

However, the council has now decided it no longer wishes to keep up the lease and is, effectively, handing it back to Melrose.

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What the owners say

Rob Chadwick, managing director of Melrose Development Services, said: “The council has been our tenant for the last 25 years but now it is giving it back to us, and prior to the lease ending, it is carrying out what is called dilapidation work. This is a combination of decorative and repair work which we ask the council to carry out as part of the lease.

“The mill has been well maintained over the past 25 years and as long as the necessary work is kept up every few years, it means that it doesn’t fall into disrepair and won’t need any major work done to it.”

Mr Chadwick said he was not yet in a position to discuss the future of the property once the lease ends. Melrose is also the owner of the Marsh Mill Village retail complex which surrounds the mill.

What the council says

A Wyre Council spokesman said: “The Councils’ lease of the Grade II* Listed Marsh Mill is coming to an end this summer and the premises will transfer over to Freehold owner Melrose Developments Limited on expiry of the lease. Works have now commenced on site to carry out various elements of work before that handover can be completed and these are predominantly timber repairs and redecorations.

“The work is being undertaken by a specialist local contractor Fylde Conservation.”

Marsh Mill first opened

Marsh Mill was built in 1794 by Ralph Slater for local landowner Bold Hesketh. It functioned as a corn mill until the 1920s and has been fully restored.

It is a good example of a complete English windmill and has been designated a Grade II* listed building.