The six-storey mill building, which has a bell tower, dates back to 1860 according to its Historic England listing, and is one of the earliest mill buildings of its scale in the town.
It was last used as a mill in the 1980s and was then home to a pine manufacturer and workshop. It has been derelict since 2007, local councillor Bill Cawley said.
Cawley, Labour representative for Leek West on Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, said he had previously warned about hazards and anti-social behaviour at the building, which had been bought by a developer.
An application was submitted by Atique Choudhury, external in 2019 to convert the site to 55 flats.
The councillor said two previous fires at the site were mentioned during a meeting he attended with the fire service and environmental health in August, and flammable materials such as wood, carboard and a can of petrol had been removed from the building’s basement.
Young people had also been seen on the building’s roof in December 2024, he added.