The proposal is located at the Sellafield Park and Ride in Cleator, a small town nestled in the picturesque landscape of Cumbria on the outskirts of the National Landscape of the Lake District. However, recent years have seen the community of Cleator grappling with multifaceted challenges, ranging from governmental policy inadequacies to environmental concerns posed by the nearby Sellafield nuclear decommissioning plant and the delicate ecosystem of the river Ehen, home to the last viable population of Fresh Water Pearl Mussels.
The site was once home to several flax mills for the Kangol factory, with only one remaining on site. It is currently in severe danger of demolition for developer profit. As part of the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, the proposal aims to transform this derelict building into a fully functional eco-factory that comprehensively addresses these challenges while fostering sustainable growth and community well-being. The remainder of the site is to be transformed into a mixture of residential dwellings and industrial units to inspire growth within the local community and integrate the wider development into the heart of Cleator. As the site is in a flood zone, half of the site has been designated as a river garden with SUDS ponds to deal with any drainage issues with a secondary benefit of massively increasing the biodiversity within the site.
The Cleator Mill masterplan exposes and uncovers an existing mill run that dissects the site, to create a unique opportunity that actively influences the river's ecosystem and the course of the future. The mill building actively extracts pollutants from the water, utilising algal spores collected to cultivate algae. The cultivated algae is then processed and combined with various pigments to create biodegradable ink to be used within the mill. This cyclical process not only benefits the environment due to it being a carbon-negative process, but it also revitalises the textile heritage of the site and truly takes it back to its roots. The ink is then used to screen print local designer's work on to textiles and as part of a wider outreach program to create an interactive art exhibition to attract tourists to Cleator and expand the National Landscape to encompass areas praised for their culture and contribution to society.
