Windmill sail sale?

The winds of change are blowing for eight Grade II* and II listed windmills owned by Kent County Council who are consulting https://letstalk.kent.gov.uk/windmills-consultation (closing date 29 Jan) about ways of disposing of them to save money. The Council has, to my mind, been managing these landmarks very responsibly to date and investing in their conservation for the benefit of the people of Kent. The Council’s excellent Heritage Conservation Strategy https://www.kent.gov.uk/about-the-council/strategies-and-policies/service-specific-policies/environment-and-waste-policies/heritage-conservation-strategy, adopted less than two years ago, demonstrates good practice in the management of heritage assets by public bodies but this consultation marks a sharp change in direction for the mills. I encourage people to look at the consultation and consider responding to it.

I don’t underestimate the funding challenges all local authorities are facing, and the KCC consultation document makes it clear that they are not seeking to offload the mills without thought for their future. However, I am very concerned that the end result may be their sale of these mills to private owners who may not allow public access. Perhaps more than almost any other type of heritage asset, one can only really appreciate the full significance of wind (and water) mills by seeing the interior mechanisms.

The Council’s net revenue budget is £1.3bn this year and the disposal of these mills will only save up to £135k pa of expenditure over the next 6 years. While KCC has published a carefully thought-through consultation document which sets out the likely impacts, the cost to community well-being could well be considerable. While many charities have in the past taken on mills and run them very successfully, I believe quite a few struggle to remain viable and find the funding for essential conservation work. So there may be little appetite in the charitable sector for taking on these mills at this time.

The SPAB Mills Section was set up as a section of the charity nearly 100 years ago in response to very serious threats to both wind and water mills that, at the time, were being lost at an alarming rate. In the intervening years these knowledgeable enthusiasts have achieved a considerable turn-around in the situation, providing technical advice and support, a forum for discussion, and a campaigning voice for these much-loved building types. Do consider supporting the work of the SPAB  https://www.spab.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-member, and the work of the Mills Section, by becoming a member, making a donation to support activity (there is also a specific mill repair fund), or by leaving a gift in your will.

As mills fell out of use in the C20 quite a few did end up in public ownership and are important symbols of a proud, shared local history. Other mills were taken on by charities and local community groups, and many others were lovingly, and meticulously conserved by private owners. However, I am worried about the future of mills in public ownership more generally as it is very hard to make such places break-even financially, even with strong volunteer support. The loss to the local communities, to educational activities, to supporting conservation work and to public access could well be considerable.