Blighted by flood

INSURANCE and planning restrictions are blighting the use of an old mill in Uckfield which has been unoccupied since the October floods of 2000.

Marten Properties have been unable to find new commercial tenants for the Grade II listed building in Mill Lane because insurers will not back them and a planning application to change the use from office to residential has been thrown out.

Mr Robin Marten said: 'Everyone is frightened of taking on such properties with the risk of flooding but agencies don't seem to be doing anything to prevent the flooding. Insurance companies will not give cover for any incoming tenants so we have got an empty listed building that we don't know what to do with.'

Blocked

Mr Marten thinks he would be successful in finding a residential use for the mill but the Environment Agency has so far blocked that idea arguing that conversion would increase the likelihood of occupiers being stranded in the building.

'In the event of a night time flood, evacuation procedures are made more difficult by the fact that the occupiers may be sleeping and/or caught unaware,' said the agency in a letter commenting on the plan.

The agency accepted occupiers would be able to seek refuge on the second floor of the property or to any rear garden area, assuming it lay above the flood level, but said that was not considered a satisfactory means of escape because additional burdens would still be placed on the emergency services during floods when existing commitments stretched resources.

Mr Marten said his biggest fear now was the damage that could be caused by vandals if the building remained empty. 'We've been getting a lot of vandalism, ten windows have been broken in the last 12 months, we only need somebody to get in there and the whole thing could go up in flames.'

A1 condition

Mr Marten said the mill was back in 'A1 condition'. 'This building has been up for between 300 and 400 years and has probably been flooded several times but no-one has ever lost a life. In the 20 years we have owned the mill it has never been flooded as badly as last time - that was a one off.'

Mr Marten said Wealden Council had been very supportive of his efforts to find a use for the building but the Environment Agency had blocked the plans. 'The environment people have got to be more relaxed and take each case as it comes,' he said.

He added that talks were continuing with planners and the Environment Agency in the hope of finding a way around the difficulties but for the moment use of the building was blighted.