A COUNCIL has refused to state whether it will purchase an historic mill if urgent repairs are not carried out by its current owner.

Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT) served Mancraft Ltd with an urgent works notice on Thursday of last week, ordering the company to make urgent repairs to part of Tonedale Mill in Wellington.

If the company - which is based in north-west London - does not act to ‘prevent further deterioration’ of the site by next Thursday (February 10), the council will undertake the repairs itself and reclaim the costs from the owners.

But the council has declined to comment whether it intends to purchase the site – which has been earmarked for a major regeneration scheme – if these latest repairs are not carried out.

Much of the early 19th century mill complex, which produced khaki cloth and puttees for the British Army during the First World War, has ‘fallen into disrepair’ in the last few years, with several sections being added to Historic England’s ‘heritage at risk’ register.

The council has issued several notices to Mancraft since 2018, with this latest notice concerning block H of Tonedale Mill, located within the ‘east complex’ area of the site accessible from Weavers Reach.

Mancraft has until February 10 to comply with the notice, informing the council that it intends to start the urgent repairs ‘without delay’.

Cllr Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for planning policy and transport, said: “Historic buildings add significant value to the character of our built environment and the preservation of the nationally important buildings at Tonedale Mill remains a priority for us.

“Unfortunately, the listed buildings have been allowed to deteriorate over many years due to inaction on the part of the current owners, and we were obliged to serve a number of statutory notices requiring repairs.

“We’ve now served a further urgent works notice requiring essential repairs to be carried out to Block H, which is a prominent and historically important building within the larger Tonedale Mills site.

“I sincerely hope this latest course of action motivates Mancraft to complete the works specified. Should they fail to comply, we have the power to undertake the works directly in default, the cost of which can be reclaimed from the owners.”

The council previously serviced three repairs notices in June 2020, hinting that it could begin the process of acquiring the site through a compulsory purchase order (CPO).

Officers have declined to state how much the necessary repairs would cost, citing commercial sensitivity, and refused to confirm whether it would push forward with the CPO if Mancraft did not comply with this latest notice.

A spokesman said: “The urgent works notice is to protect the grade two star listed building and to address the immediate issues on Block H, as specified in the notice.

“We will continue to investigate all options for the site and are committed to securing its long-term future.”

Regenerating the Tonedale Mill site formed part of the council’s recent £20 million bid to the Government’s levelling up fund, alongside the revitalisation of the neighbouring Toneworks site and opening up the Fox’s Field to local residents.

The council failed to secure funding in the first round of the fund - the winners of which were announced in October 2021 - but is continuing to pursue government funding for these projects.