Local Growth Minister Penny Mordaunt says that a former flour mill, at the heart of London’s Royal Docks, will be the centrepiece of a thriving new business district.
Today the Minister visited the Millennium Mills site, which has been abandoned since the early 1980s, to see how work is progressing on its transformation, thanks to a £12 million investment from the government.
The funding will help to fast track the redevelopment of the 450,000 sq ft building, which is part of a wider £3.5 billion project to deliver 5 million sq ft of business and retail space at Silvertown Quays.
This will involve opening up the historic waterfront to create an attractive destination populated by cafés, restaurants and galleries which is expected to attract 13 million visitors each year.
It is the latest investment into London’s enterprise zone, which also includes plans to create a floating village at Royal Victoria Dock and a business port at Royal Albert Dock. Three thousand new homes will also be built in the district.
Speaking about the project, the Minister said that it’s great to see work starting on Millennium Mills, where demolition of parts of the interior and the removal of asbestos contamination is currently underway.
She went on to add that the government’s investment will transform what was once a “symbol of decline” and bring prosperity back to the docks.
“”It’s all part of a long-term economic plan that is driving business forward and delivering real benefits to hard-working people,” she said.
Millennium Mills will welcome its first occupiers in 2017.
