Wellington heritage funds being spent instead on bats in the attic in Bridgwater

MILLIONS of pounds snatched away by Somerset Council from a Wellington heritage project is now being spent instead on a ‘bat cave’ in Bridgwater.

The council has redirected a total of £7.2 million of a £16.3 million Government grant it was given to protect and restore the listed grade two starred derelict Tonedale Mill.

Now, it has emerged that £2.5 million of the filched funds will help create a ‘dedicated bat mitigation building’ as part of the regeneration of a former Bridgwater hospital.

The ‘bat cave’ will be in a gatehouse and must be constructed before the council can go ahead with work to turn the site into a healthcare training academy.

A new bat loft will be created in the gatehouse attic space, with repairs to the outside of the building, including replacing roof tiles.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust will deliver up to 3,000 training sessions each year through the new academy across more than 32,000 sq ft of working space, with a range of training rooms, offices, and outdoor space provided on three floors.

The site will include early years facilities, and an independent living centre providing support and technology for people wanting to live in their own home longer, rather than move to nursing homes.

The rest of the redirected Tonedale Mill money has gone to the nearby Toneworks site, also a grade two starred listed building, which was the finishing and dye centre for cloth produced by the mill.

Lengthy delays in restoration work have seen cost estimates soar for Toneworks, which is owned by the council.

Tonedale Mill, however, is privately owned and the council has now given up on trying to acquire and restore it.

The Government grant money has to be committed by contract by next March and any work completed by April, 2028.