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Writer's pictureRothai Mill

Planning and Plans

Today marks two years since our very first visit to our mill (before it was our mill). I still remember the day so clearly!

We knew there was a mill at the back of the site, but we could not see it and we could not visit on the day we first spoke to the then owner (he had a poorly animal at the back and didn't want to upset it). We chatted to him about our hunt for a mill to purchase and ambitions for restoring one. We asked if we could see it as we were, at the time, traveling the Cavan countryside searching... and we got pretty excited just seeing some of these structures, even if they weren't for sale. He said he'd phone us at a better time.


Then, on May 6th 2021, we received the call. We hopped into the car and off we went! Before we even saw the mill, we were shown a little school project / historical report on the mill, prepared by a family member. While browsing through this, the owner told us he was considering selling the mill, on the advice of his sons, who did not want him to break his back restoring it on his own. And the rest was history, although we didn't know it yet.

It made our first visit so much more memorable. In my head I was wondering if he was seriously considering it, whether we could afford it or not, if it would go on the market and get scooped up by someone with more means (and probably less drive as we've seen with other mills that were supposedly purchased and subsequently left to fall apart)... I think it made the whole experience very different than if we were just walking around and checking it out. like some of the other mills that were "not for sale".


On the one year anniversary we were waiting for solicitors. We'd just finished waiting for the Land Registry (also because of solicitors) and we thought it was all gonna be a matter of weeks at this point. Little did we know it would be another 5 months.


But we're here now and on the second anniversary we are excited to announce that we just found out our planning application for the Integrated Constructed Wetland (waste water treatment system) was granted. We don't know what the conditions are yet but hopefully there won't be anything too onerous or prescriptive. Or anything to discharge before commencement. But whatever it is, we'll address that as we go.



We have a pre-planning meeting with the area planner and heritage officer on Wednesday to discuss our long-term plans for the site and our next planning application which will hopefully go in the week after next.


We are now getting ready for the next stint of construction works, starting on just over a week. As part of the prep work, we need to move some of the precious internal machinery while hoping it doesn't fall apart in our hands, so we've done a bit of recording and filming, just in case it does...

We're hoping that the mill will look a fair bit different in about a month and you'll see it all here. Stay tuned!

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