NEW calls are being made for greater protection of Bradford’s mills after another “part of the city’s heritage” was destroyed by fire.

A dozen fire crews were called to the blaze in the empty building at Prospect Mills in Thornton on Saturday, the third incident at the site in five years.

Local councillors have now said they will be lobbying the government to advocate a change in the law affecting developers of mill sites, with fire chiefs urging current owners to take steps to ensure their properties are “secure.”

Councillor Richard Dunbar (Lab, Thornton and Allerton) said: “We will be writing to the government on this.

“If someone goes in to buy a mill building they should have to prove they can finance its redevelopment.

“There should be some form of legislation so development funds are secured at the point of sale.

“Buildings of such historical importance need to be protected. Whether it is a listed building or not, people would need to prove they had the finance.”

Alan Hall, chairman of the Bradford Civic Society, described the loss of the mill as a “real pity” for Bradford.

“We are not about preservation at all costs, but Prospect Mills was definitely worth saving,” he said.

“It had historical and aesthetic interest, and was part of the city’s heritage.

“I think the site was empty for about 20 years, and that in itself is a problem.

“The council needs to get the owners of these buildings to maintain them and not just let them sit and rot away.

“I don’t think they have any legal enforcement powers, which is probably what is needed.”

Last month, Historic England released a report entitled ‘Engines of Prosperity: New Uses for Old Mills’, which had identified Prospect Mills as one of eight sites across the county it believed could become new homes.

Trevor Mitchell, planning director for Yorkshire, said the organisation was looking at “unlocking the potential” of various sites across West Yorkshire.

“One sticking point is the end value of these properties,” he conceded.

“Our own funds aren’t sufficient, we are hoping to provide funds for Dalton Mills in Keighley and Waterloo Mills in Silsden, but there are for patch repairs, not for bridging the viability gap.

“For completely empty mills, like Prospect Mills, it is difficult for owners to find incentives to keep them secure.

“That in turn then increases the risk of incidents such as fires.

“Mills are fantastic quality buildings, and if we can rediscover their potential, they can be powerhouses.

“It is unlikely any funding would come directly from central government, but the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) could bid for government money.

“We would certainly hope to see that happen in the years to come.”

Stephen McManus, chairman of the Bradford Property Forum, agreed that developers would need financial support in order to revamp former mills.

“Someone like Historic England would need to provide grants to help these projects, whether they are commercial or residential,” he said.

“The problem for developers is that the end value doesn’t justify the money spent on renovations. Subsidies would be needed.”

The Prospect Mill site was hit by fire in 2011, and again last November.

Other high-profile incidents saw Drummond Mill in Manningham destroyed by a fierce blaze in January and Aireworth Mills in Keighley damaged by fire last month.

Ian Bitcon, area manager for fire safety at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Mill fires remain a continuing problem across large parts of the county. Several mills are still in use but frequently occupied by several businesses, while other mills are unoccupied and some of these are falling into a derelict state.

“Each time we have a major mill fire it is a sad loss to the rich heritage of the industrial north.

“For unoccupied mills we urge all owners to ensure wherever possible that these buildings are secured to prevent the possibility of deliberate fires, and with occupied buildings take care to reduce the risk of accidental fires as far as is practicable.”

An investigation into the cause of the fire remains ongoing today.