More needs to be done to protect Leek's heritage assets following the devastating Big Mill fire, community leaders say.

The Grade II listed former silk mill was demolished following the major blaze at the weekend, which followed many years of stalled efforts to bring the 19th century building back into use.

Now there are growing calls for more effort to be put into preserving Leek's remaining historic mills and its other heritage assets, before a similar disaster happens.

Last September, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council published a report on the six mostly vacant mills in Leek, and three in Biddulph, which looked at how they could be brought back into use.

It included a number of recommendations, including engaging with owners, exploring funding opportunities and developing an area action plan covering the Well Street, Cross Street, York Street and London Mill sites.

The report, produced by consultants from Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) and presented to the economy and growth committee, also recommended prioritising the Big Mill, due it being a listed building and 'at risk'.

Councillor Jim Garvey, chair of the economy and growth committee, believes the Big Mill fire shows that it is vital that the report's recommendations are carried out.

He said: "I think it's now crucial that the mills strategy is implemented as quickly as possible. We've now seen one of the best heritage assets in Leek go up in flames, quite literally. It just emphasises the fact that we need to preserve the heritage that we have left with some urgency."

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A 2019 planning application to turn Big Mill into 55 flats remained undetermined due to concerns that proposed changes to the internal structure could have made the building unstable.

Historic England recently agreed to include the Big Mill in its heritage investment prospectus for 2026, with the hope of attracting investment from residential developers at the UK Housing Conference later this year.

Cllr Garvey added: "It had been going on for years but some progress had been made with the Big Mill, with the owner agreeing to have it listed in Historic England's prospectus, but sadly it was too late.

"Now we need to do what we can to bring the other mills, both in Leek and in Biddulph, back into productive use."

Roger Warrilow, chair of Leek & District Civic Society, believes the council should be doing more itself to protect the town's heritage assets.

He is particularly concerned about the Grade II listed building opposite the SMDC offices in Stockwell Street, which includes a former silk warehouse to the rear.

Mr Warrilow said: "The building is perhaps in an even worse state than the Big Mill was. The roof has got a big hole in it and teenagers have been able to get inside it.

"The council does have the power to intervene when a building is in a dangerous state like that. They have the power, they just seem to lack the will to do anything.

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"The council might say they're looking into it, but they were looking into the Big Mill for years. It just went on and on. And this wasn't the first time there's been a fire.

"The Big Mill was an iconic building and it's heartbreaking that it's gone."

The district council says there has been some progress in implementing the recommendations of the LSH report, including the establishment of a mills task force.

A council spokesperson said: "A Mills Task Force has been established with officers from Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and Staffordshire County Council.

"The group is exploring opportunities to work with the owners of six mills in Leek (which includes Big Mill) and three mills in Biddulph, identified in the Lambert Smith Hampton study, although this work does remain at an early stage following the report's publication last autumn.

"For many years the council has been looking at mills with their owners to see how they can be developed for modern use, with several success stories."

The spokesperson added that the planning issues with the Big Mill remained unresolved as the council was not prepared to approve anything unless it could be 'completely assured' over the safety of the building.

The council confirmed that the Big Mill demolition has been funded by the building's owners. The authority did have to pay for temporary accommodation for around 100 evacuated residents, who have all since returned home.

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