Shrewsbury Flax Mill decontamination 'needs £5m'

English Heritage's plans include turning the main Grade I listed mill building into offices and an exhibition space

Up to £5m needs to be found to decontaminate a Grade I listed mill which is being redeveloped, English Heritage has said.

The body has already received £2.6m to create a visitor attraction at the Ditherington Flax Mill in Shrewsbury.

It also expects to receive a further £12.8m lottery grant to create offices and an exhibition space later.

Shropshire MP Daniel Kawczynski is asking the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership for the additional funds.

'Forerunner to skyscraper'

An English Heritage spokeswoman said: "Cleaning and contamination comes under the de-risking of a site.

"It's a quite standard part of a project of this nature as these sites have often functioned as many different things in their past.

"It also includes organising the road structure throughout the site."

Mr Kawczynski said he had met the project manager on Thursday and there were issues around "cleaning up the site and contamination".

The Ditherington Flax Mill in Shrewsbury was the first iron-framed building of its kind and was considered a forerunner to the skyscraper, according to Friends of Flaxmill Maltings chairman Alan Mosley.

A Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) spokeswoman said: "It is not yet known when the next round of funding will be made but the LEP is always keen to hear about projects which support its aim of driving economic growth across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin."