AN outstanding example of Somerset’s heritage could soon be better protected from flooding through a new study.
The Tonedale area in Wellington includes the Tonedale Mill and Tone Works complex, which once served as a major manufacturing hub for the town.
Efforts have been made to preserve and revitalise the buildings, with two failed bids to the levelling up fund and nearly £1m being spent to protect and decontaminate the Tone Works site.
The Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) has now commissioned a “detailed and ambitious” new study aimed to preventing flooding in and around the area, making it easier for the buildings to be brought back into public use.
The Tonedale area includes “an intricate system of waterways and structure” around the River Tone, which at one time were used to power textile machinery.
These include leats, mill races, holding ponds, weirs and sluices – some of which run through the heart of individual buildings within the Tone Works site off the B3187 Milverton Road.
Funding for the new study was approved as part of the SRA’s annual budget, which was approved by councillors in Yeovil on Friday (March 3).
While the exact amount of funding being supplied has not yet been published, the SRA has promised the study will complement the recent repairs and investigations carried out by Somerset West and Taunton Council – along with the latter’s recent securing of public green space between the Tonedale area and Rockwell Green.
A spokesman for the SRA said: “There is immense potential for Tonedale to advance the objectives of Somerset’s 20-Year Flood Action Plan.
“For example, combined with possible measures to reduce flood risks, there is great scope for environmental improvements.
“A team from Historic England has spent two years researching the history of the site’s waterways.
“Funding is being sought by the district council for other complementary studies, covering, for example, water quality improvements and community access and involvement.
“Because of local government reorganisation in Somerset, responsibility for this project will passed from the district council to the new Somerset Council.
“The overall aim will still be to piece together an effective plan for a grade two listed site, considered by Historic England to be the most important complex of its kind in the south west, and one of the most important in England.”
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