After 15 years of delays, The Mill takes a decisive step forward

Why it matters: Gateway, the government body that checks fire and safety calculations for the recladding of high-rise blocks across the UK, has approved plans to reclad all 215 occupied flats at The Mill – a decision developers say will come as a huge relief to residents who have lived with dangerous cladding for years.

The details: The approval also covers the building's vacant tower, paving the way for the completion of 85 flats within it.

John Howard, speaking on behalf of The Mill Ipswich Limited, the development company set up to lead the redevelopment, said: "It's taken exactly two years of very hard work from my construction partner Paul Hardy and his team to get to this point. We now hope to be on site before November this year."

He added: "A lot of thanks needs to go to Homes England and the Levelling Up Fund that make the grant funding available in order for these blocks across the UK to be reclad. Everybody involved has worked incredibly hard to get to this point."

For context: The Mill has been at the centre of a 15-year saga since part of its structure was deemed unsafe in 2013, when gale-force winds tore cladding from the building, exposing fire hazards. Fire experts warned in 2014 that the polystyrene cladding was so unsafe that residents should be moved out.

The building's freeholder went into administration in 2010, and multiple attempts to resolve the situation failed over the following years. In 2023, residents protested outside the offices of the building's former administrators, saying they felt like "prisoners in their own homes" as their properties became worthless.

Property developer John Howard purchased the freehold for £1 in July 2024 and, alongside construction director Paul Hardy, has been working towards Gateway approval since. In December 2025, Howard said he hoped to be in a position to start work "in May next year", pending sign-off from Gateway, so while it has taken a little longer than hoped – as if often the case with these complex projects – everyone will be pleased that the end is in sight.

The bottom line: After years of false starts and residents trapped in unsellable properties, The Mill has finally cleared one of its biggest remaining hurdles. With approval now granted, Howard says he hopes to be on site before November this year. The project is expected to take 18 months to complete once under way, tackling dangerous cladding on the 215 occupied flats and finishing the 85 apartments in the tower.

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