Caerlee Mill, Innerleithen
The Caerlee Mill development brought 44 new build homes to the Scottish Borders town of Innerleithen. The development consists of 2, 3 & 4 bedroom houses and cottage flats, each one thoughtfully designed to reflect the spirit of the former mill site. Every detail has been carefully considered – from the roof-scape echoing the sawtooth roof of the former mill buildings, to the use of materials such as slate, zinc, brick and timber cladding which hark back to the site’s industrial past.
Caerlee Mill was designed to create contemporary new homes to suit a variety of owners – families, young couples and retired people alike, to redevelop the derelict site which sits in the heart of the thriving Borders village of Innerleithen.
The development was designed to knit into the streetscape of the Innerleithen conservation area, with narrow roads winding round short terraces of houses, connecting with squares and open spaces. It followed the principals of ‘Designing Streets’ to create a development with character, with reduced dominance of cars. The existing ‘B’ listed mill building is integrated into the design to form the entrance ‘street’ from Damside and a ‘square’ is positioned in front of the mill to form a strong urban space, from which the rest of the development progresses.
The brownfield site’s industrial past is echoed in the sawtooth roof scape and the use of materials associated with the site’s heritage. Roof materials are a mix of slate and zinc. Render, zinc and timber cladding were used to vary the facades and a dark brick was selected in sympathy with the local whinstone and the industrial common bricks used in the old mill buildings.
The development was designed to foster a new community of neighbours and this is already proving successful as reflected by some of our new homeowners in their testimonials.
