The cost of carrying out repairs to historic buildings within a potential regeneration site on the edge of a Somerset town will reach almost £1m before the spring of 2023.

The Tone Works complex, located off the B3187 Milverton Road in Wellington, forms part of a £20m bid to the government’s levelling up fund – the outcome of which is expected to be announced before the end of the year.

Somerset West and Taunton Council has been carrying out repairs to Tone Works and the neighbouring Tonedale Mill site to protect registered heritage assets and ensure the buildings can be re-purposed if the bid to central government is successful.

Following two successful bids for government funding during the coronavirus pandemic, a further £200,000 of taxpayers’ money has now been provided for a third phase of repairs, which have to be completed before the spring.

The council was initially awarded £348,420 in January 2021 to decontaminate and make initial repairs to the Tone Works site, with a further £400,000 being provided in November 2021.

A further £207,596 has been allocated towards phase three of the repairs – bringing the total cost of the repairs to £955,596. Of the £207,596 being provided for phase three, £185,596 comes from central government via Historic England.

The remaining £22,000 will be sourced from the new homes bonus, which is paid to local authorities by central government as a reward for delivering a certain number of new homes within a given time-frame. The funding must be spent in its entirety by March 15, 2023 – shortly before the council is dissolved and replaced by the new unitary Somerset Council.

Councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for economic development, planning and transportation, said: “The preservation of the Tonedale area, and the restoration of the buildings to bring them into a beneficial use, aligns with a number of priority strategic themes and outcomes set out in our corporate strategy.

“The grant will provide the means to pay for the further regeneration of a historically important asset without the need for any internal funding. This funding is to allow the continuation of contractors on site to allow a seamless continuation of works into phase three.

“The project delivery is exceptionally complex and within a tight time-frame. We will continue to work in tandem with our funder and stakeholders through any issues that arise.”

The council has released few details of its levelling up fund bid, stating in June that it involves “the restoration of Wellington’s heritage and cultural assets”.

Tonedale Mill was the subject of an unsuccessful bid in the first round of the levelling up fund, with the council also submitting a £5m bid to the government’s cultural development fund for the ‘Creative Tonedale’ programme.

The council has also been making repairs to Tonedale Mill, which is owned by Mancraft Ltd., after an urgent works notice was issued earlier in the year.

Mr Rigby said: “Discussions continue with the owners regarding the urgent works and the long-term plans for the site. Our officers continue to work with the owners to try and secure the other buildings throughout the site. We are also recovering funds for works carried out in default in an urgent works notice when the owners failed to compete the protective works to the listed buildings.”