A £20m plan to regenerate Tonedale Mill in Wellington is being reviewed to ensure the money can be spent in the most effective way.

Somerset Council secured nearly £20m in November 2023 in the third and final round of the levelling up fund, to be spent on regenerating the brownfield site and the neighbouring Tone Works site on the edge of Wellington.

Since this funding was awarded, the council has been focussing on delivering regeneration projects elsewhere in Somerset which have a more urgent deadline – such as the improvements in Taunton town centre being paid for by the government’s future high streets fund.

Councillor Mike Rigby has confirmed the project is being reviewed to ensure a “sustainable end use” and the best value for taxpayers can be delivered.

Tonedale Mill and Tone Works were once the centre of the mighty Fox Brothers & Co. Ltd., one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of woollen and worsted garments in the South West.

Tonedale Mill almost entirely closed in the 1980s, though a small amount of production continues on part of the site, with a handful of small businesses being based nearby.

Tone Works, which closed its doors in 2000, has received around £1m of government funding to decontaminate the land and prevent the existing structures from falling into disrepair.

The council originally intended to use the £19,987,663 levelling up grant to secure both sites, preserving the existing fabric of the buildings and preparing the ground for new commercial occupants, along with some residential and cultural elements.

Mr Rigby, portfolio holder for economic development, planning and assets, said: “With any project involving public money, there has some kind of lasting and meaningful benefit. What we’ve got to do is work out how we achieve that on that site.

“We’re carrying out a review of the programme to make sure that all of that public money that’s being diverted into this brings the building close to a sustainable end use.”

The council has had to juggle numerous regeneration projects since its creation in April 2023, with much of the funding and design work being inherited from the district councils it replaced.

Other parts of Somerset have seen their regeneration projects move forward at a steady pace – including the town deal projects in Bridgwater and Glastonbury, the completion of the Yeovil Refresh public realm improvements, and the unlocking of the Firepool regeneration site in Taunton.

Mr Rigby stressed that Wellington’s future remained a top priority for the council, stating: “I don’t think there’s any fear of Wellington being left out.

“It’s a question of making sure that that public money is spent with purpose and intention.

“We’re not saying that we’re not going to do it, but I think there’s some work to do to.”

Following initial reports in December 2024, Somerset Council confirmed it has asked the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for a one-year extension to the funding deadline (end of March 2027) to allow more time to appraise the project and secure the necessary resources.