Mill Valley Gardens is a 21st century development. Like many roads in this area, it gets its name from the fact that Ligoniel was a mill village. There was a beetling mill nearby at the confluence of the Ligoniel River and the Forth River. Later, in 1857-59 a flax spinning mill was built by John Emerson a little further north and upstream (which became the Ballysillan Flax Spinning Mill), and there was also a weaving factory.
The name Mill Valley Gardens (2nd choice Mill Valley Close) Off Mill Valley Road, BT14 was proposed by Alan Patterson Design. The architect has proposed Mill Valley Gardens for the street name and Mill Valley Close for the second choice because the name fits into the surrounding local context and it is accessed off Mill Valley Road.” The street name was agreed at the People and Communities Meeting on 7th November, 2017.