COMMUNITY figures will make a last-ditch attempt to stop part of the world's first wireless factory falling into private hands.
Chelmsford city councillors gave planning permission to transform Marconi's Old Silk Mill in Hall Street into six flats on Tuesday last week.
But developer Arcady Architects has told Chelmsfordians desperately trying to preserve the city's proud wireless heritage that part of the ground floor could be used for community use, such as a museum and meeting room.
"This is a fantastic asset we have on our doorstep," said Transition Chelmsford member Simon Mouncey. "It's the last building that has not been converted and even though we might have lost the top floor, we haven't lost the whole building."
Radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi opened the two-storey former Courtauld silk mill as the world's first radio factory in 1898, two years after arriving from Italy.
Essex & Suffolk Water bought the building as the Marconi company demerged, but left in 2010, leaving it redundant.
Knight Developments bought the site and sold it to the new developer for an estimated £750,000 to be four flats upstairs, two down and associated parking.
The 1912 Marconi Factory in New Street is being converted into 418 homes and for commercial use.
A core team of about eight people, representing Marconi Heritage Group, Marconi Veterans Association, Transition Chelmsford, The Ideas Hub and Malcolm Noble from Chelmsford Civic Society and Changing Chelmsford, are readying themselves to prepare their bid, for about £500,000 to £1 million, from generous donators and businesses, ready for March. "You can draw a direct line between Marconi, started in that building, and the Rosetta space probe landing on a comet," added Mr Mouncey.
"None of that would be possible without Marconi, the wireless technology and being able to communicate without wires, it all started in that building.
"It's up to the community to help people realise that it all happened here on our own doorstep. The city council has done the opposite to make the city a sub-regional shopping centre."
City council cabinet member for planning and economic development Neil Gulliver said: "I am prepared to meet with any community group which wants to try and put a bid together, even if this doesn't become a celebration of Marconi specifically, but it would be nice for it to celebrate Chelmsford's radio history."
