A PLAN for the conversion of Comber Mill, which is closing with the loss of 117 jobs, has been made by a Northern Ireland business consortium, headed by the developer Mr Graham Wright, founder of the Sofaland furniture chain.
His intention is to turn the 134 year old Victorian mill into a shopping mall for home furnishings, creating 200 jobs during the construction phase, and 200 permanent jobs when the project is completed in two years' time.
"With sympathetic conversion and enhancement," he said, "we will provide a varied range of some of the top names in home and soft furnishings, all under one roof. Everyone is depressed about the local economy here in Comber. We believe this project will put the heart back into the town.
Comber is now mainly a dormitory town for people working in the Belfast area. Its economy has been hit by a number of factory closures. Last year it was announced that its century old linen mill, owned by John Andrews and Company, was no longer viable.
Mr Tom Andrews, the managing director of the family owned company, which produced wet spun flax and linen yarn for over 130 years, blamed a downturn in the demand for linen, an increase n the price of raw materials, and increased competition from the Third World.
"This is a traditional industry where whole families have been employed by the company," he said, "and it will have a devastating effect on the town."
Mr Andrews, who is also a member of the consortium, says that he is delighted at the new plan. While the jobs at the mill could not be saved, he said, the conversion of the mill would help to create 200 new ones.
