Sheffield based contractor and developer, JF Finnegan, has completed the transformation of two historic mill buildings into 75,000 sq ft of new offices at the established Dean Clough development in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Local employer Covéa Insurance is occupying both mills to support its growing business.
Dean Clough is a thriving, privately-owned business community of over 4,000 people in Halifax. The project to transform two of the mill buildings has been successfully completed in line with Covéa Insurance’s scheduled move dates and in excess of 600 staff are now in occupation.
The two mills, which were originally built between 1841 and 1844, have been unused since the early 1950’s. In creating the new offices for Covéa Insurance, the mills have been brought back into use and preserved, playing an important role in the long-term regeneration of the Halifax area.
Once the world’s largest carpet factory, the 22 acre site at Dean Clough is now home to over 140 businesses including numerous retail and leisure uses, as well as being one of Yorkshire’s most prominent arts centres. It comprises galleries, a theatre and studios, hosting a range of comedy and music events in addition to a rolling programme of exhibitions within its galleries.
The regeneration of the last two major mills at Dean Clough has finally restored the visually commanding link between the east and west flanks of the historic site. This has not only cleared the way for an investment in improved traffic management but has assisted 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 now underway in the famous, underground Viaduct Theatre. Long anticipated plans for residential accommodation at Dean Clough are also now expected to come on line.
Gary Smith, Managing Director of JF Finnegan, commented; “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 & B Mills for Covéa Insurance. The redevelopment will bring an incredible boost to the activity and dynamism of the site. Feedback from the staff at Covéa has been very positive to their new working environment and we wholeheartedly welcome them to our thriving business community.
“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.”
