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Listing: Former Sunbeamland cycle factory.
Historic/industrial archaeology interest. Landmark building.
Locally Listed, approved November 2001.
Comment: This is one of the most
important remaining monuments to the transport industry in the
city. It is of the greatest historical importance and an
interesting example of the development of factory architecture.
It is also a prominent landmark on an important entrance to the
town and on the ring road. In December 2001 it was submitted for
national listing by Frank Sharman and Bev Parker.
Listing was refused, apparently on the grounds that it was not a very
important motorcycle factory and did not have enough of either historic
or architectural interest to justify listing. This is
incomprehensible in itself and, at best, illustrates how something,
which is of the greatest local interest and importance, is not rated
nationally.
For several years the whole site was owned by
the developers, Mucklows. In 2009 it was acquired by Urban Splash,
which has an incredible track record for redeveloping old
buildings and putting them to new use. Sadly due to a lack
funding for the project, it has been abandoned, and the building
put-up for sale. Its future is now in doubt again. Luckily the
site has been made secure to deter would-be vandals, but if
anyone does take it on, it will require a very large sum of
money to make the building habitable. Unfortunately this seems
very unlikely in these harsh economic times.
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