Iceni Planning and Heritage were appointed by Urban Splash to lead the redevelopment of its Grade II* Listed Building, Beehive Mill, located in the historic Ancoats area of Manchester.

After years of poor treatment, it is the vision of Urban Splash to bring the Beehive Mill back to its former glory through a sensitive restoration programme. This will see the building become a hub for a variety of small and medium businesses in the renovated upper floors as well as a home for the Princes Trust North West branch on the ground and first floor.

Since its construction in the 1820’s, the building has been host to a variety of occupiers including cotton spinners, corn millers and dry soap manufacturers, Sankeys Soap. Famously taking its name from the soap producers there before them, a legendary Manchester nightclub was later established in the basement of the Beehive and ‘Sankeys’ the brand was born. For many years, the location of Sankeys was unrivalled in the Manchester music scene and it was known as one of the coolest venues in the city.

Taking this into consideration, Iceni’s approach has been to work closely with the architects, Maurice Shapero Studios; Bradley McClure and Reform Landscape Architects, to ensure that whilst the proposals for the site preserve the essence of the Beehive’s exciting history, they prioritise restoring a building which has been poorly mistreated for decades.