A STRIKING feature of the Crumlin Road in North Belfast, Brookfield Mill was an essential powerhouse for Ireland’s booming linen industry. Today it is providing homes to over 70 families as part of a renovation which won the builder, Kerr Property, a coveted Aisling Award.

Built in 1850 it comprised of a four-storey linen factory before closing in the early 1960s. The Flax Trust then converted the building into a small business incubator centre in 1977.

Four years ago, the building was acquired by Keltbray Limited and delivered by EHA in partnership with Kerr Property for Clanmil Housing Association with the Boyd Partnership architects.

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Plans were approved for 77 apartments, which were all handed over to residents in time for Christmas.

The total investment in Brookfield Mill is £13.1m with £7.1m grant support from the Department for Communities via the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and £6m investment from Clanmil.    

The scheme comprises 77 general needs units: 55 three person two-bedroom apartments, three three person two bedroom duplex units and nine five person three bedroom duplex units.

They are designed to meet Lifetime Homes requirements and Secured by Design (SBD) and are built to achieve high energy efficiency ratings. Lifetime homes means that a person can live in this house from “cradle to the grave”.

The homes are designed so that they can be adapted easily to meet the needs of the person as they progress through life, with a wetroom already in place and a stairlift easily fitted if needs be.

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Secure By Design (SBD) means that the developer liaises with an Architectural Liaison officer within the PSNI to ‘design out’ crime and enhance safety within the development.

It takes into consideration personal amenity spaces, lighting and security measures – i.e. increased spec of windows and doors that are SBD approved.

The existing building allowed builders to separate the 77 units into five individual cores, each with their own secured access and lift to ensure level access to each individual apartment. 

On the ground and first fIoors, there are 21 duplex apartments each with their own individual access. In amalgamating old and new, a new floor was made on the roof of the building to provide additional apartments.

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Some of the features of the old building have been retained, including an old staircase in what is known as Core C or the corner block of the building.

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For residents, parking is provided by 68 common unassigned spaces.  

One of the new 77 residents is Grainne Johnston, who lives in one of the ground floor duplex apartments.

"I was on the waiting list for years and I was absolutely delighted when I got the news," she said.

NEW HOME: Lorcan and Connolly in their new apartment at Brookfield Mill
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NEW HOME: Lorcan and Connolly in their new apartment at Brookfield Mill

"I really like the design of the place and the fact they have kept some of the old mill.

"The apartments are very spacious. They are really well designed. It was like an early Christmas present moving in."

The transformation of Brookfield Mill was led by veteran Belfast developer Martin Conlon of Kerr Property, part of the Keltbray Group Company founded by West Belfast native Brendan Kerr.

By far Brookfield Mill has been the most ambitious project of Kerr Property Holdings Limited and Keltbray Limited, so much so, that in November the company scooped a prestigious Aisling Award in the 'Let's Go Hydro' Excellence in Business category.

Speaking about the project, Martin Conlon said: "We negotiated a deal with the Flax Trust, who were very supportive of social housing for the local community rather than demolish it or let it rot and ruin.

"We then went to Clanmil and got planning permission through pretty quick.

"The idea was to keep the plans as traditional as possible to maintain the history of the mill.

"We all know about the need for social housing in North Belfast. There is a massive demand and we are delighted to see the new tenants moved in."