Tim Rogers is chief executive officer of Future Transformation, a not-for-profit organisation which hopes to acquire the derelict mill complex in Keighley from the Crown Estate.
Tim told the Telegraph & Argus he wanted to firstly secure the 19th Century site to boost safety – then eventually turn it into a place for businesses and the local community.
He said current modelling suggested it would cost a total of around £100 million to fully restore Dalton Mills over an anticipated 15-year period.
As previously reported by the T&A, Dalton Mills – which was used as a set for the filming of Peaky Blinders – was given up to the Crown Estate after the company which previously owned it was dissolved via a compulsory strike-off.
Earlier this month, two teenagers were found guilty of starting a huge fire which gutted the historic mill complex in 2022. McKenzie Motron, now 18, and a 17-year-old youth – who cannot be named for legal reasons – will be sentenced in October.
There have been a number of separate blazes at the site since.
Ambitious plans for the future
Keighley man Tim, who said he had been interested in buying the property for a number of years and was in discussions with the Crown Estate, told the T&A: “I’ve had grandparents and aunties who worked in Dalton Mills when it was a working mill – I really care about it.
“We want to acquire the site as soon as possible because, as we’ve seen from recent incidents, it’s not secure – and my fear is that somebody could be seriously hurt, or even worse, there.
“If we take ownership and responsibility of the site, first and foremost we would ensure it is secured properly, working alongside organisations like Bradford Council and Historic England, and then we would be able to start the process of restoring it.
“Firstly, you’ve got the clock tower – we see that as space for businesses, for innovation, for wealth-creation.
“You’ve got the big mill area that was set on fire in 2022 – we see that as being community space, providing things for people in the area, like health services, a library, and entertainment and cultural attractions.
“Then you’ve got the big mill at the back – we see that as a space where we can help to promote green technologies of the future.
“As a not-for-profit organisation, we’d make it a community asset, helping to safeguard its future.”
Tim, who is chair of Keighley Town Board, said the current projected total cost of fully renovating Dalton Mills would be around £100m – but he stressed this figure could possibly change in the future given the “volatile world we live in”.
Tim added: “In terms of development prices per square metre, Dalton Mills is never going to make a profit because there isn’t the growth, demand and market in Keighley – it’s a loss-maker – but somebody has got to step up and take it on otherwise we’ll lose this heritage asset.”
He said the total renovation costs would be covered by a “mixed model” including funding from Future Transformation, grants, investors and eventually revenue from letting space to businesses.
He added that at this time it was expected it would take around 15 years to fully restore the site.
Number of people interested in buying site
Tim said Keighley had seen “so many false promises over the years” and added: “We want to assure the people of Keighley that we will be transparent with them should we acquire the site.
“People will be able to ask questions and challenge us if they want to.
“Ultimately this is about restoring and protecting a heritage asset – and it’s vital we all work together.”
It is understood a number of other people are interested in buying Dalton Mills.
That interest has been heightened following recent press coverage, it is understood.
Once the largest textile mills in Yorkshire – employing more than 2,000 workers – Dalton Mills was built by Joseph Craven in 1869, replacing the original mill from the 1780s.
As well Peaky Blinders, it has also been used for Downton Abbey, The Great Train Robbery and the 2016 film The Limehouse Golem, starring Bill Nighy.