The Sheriff’s Mill Restoration Project, Gloucester City Council

This is a project for conservation and repair works on the ruinous remains of a locally listed historic mill in publicly accessible land in Abbeydale, in Gloucester. The work would also include the creation of an interpretation board explaining the history of the site. The project would be supported by a program of scrub clearance, litter picking, and selective tree felling (approved by the City Council’s tree officer). The aim being to preserve and better present this interesting historic structure in one of the few areas of public green space in Abbeydale ward. Abbeydale Ward in Gloucester is one of the most heavily developed in the city, with a relative lack of accessible green space and a real lack of surviving heritage assets. Much of the Sheriff’s Mill is located on inaccessible land owned by a nearby supermarket but the area of the proposed scheme is owned by the City Council and contains a public footpath. The surviving elements of the mill are currently hidden by overgrowth and the area feels sadly neglected. Without repair work the mill structures will continue to degrade and will, ultimate, be lost. Sadly the city council has no particular obligation to conserve a locally listed building (which does not benefit from statutory protection) so it’s not a priority for funding. By preserving these remains the project would protect one of the last surviving historic sites in the ward, this combined with the interpretation would (one hopes) promote interest in the site amongst the general public and encourage increased use of the site and better maintenance and care for the space going forward. It is also hoped that this would encourage discussions about the protection of that part of the mill site in private ownership.