PLANS to regenerate the former Fox Bros mills are set to be unveiled soon.

Community interest group Wellington Mills CIC will be holding a consultation day on Saturday, October 27, to reveal its plans for the historically important buildings.

The group will be sending out invitations to hundreds of Wellington residents.

“We’ve been working with local heritage architect Claire Fear and her team at the Thread practice to come up with some radical new thinking for the site,” said Keith Wheatley, a director of Wellington Mills CIC. “Now we want to show these concepts to people in the town and get their ideas and feedback.

“The current planning permission for hundreds of expensive apartments at Tonedale has been in place for nearly 10 years and obviously isn’t viable or the flats would have been built by now.

"But we think people are a lot more imaginative than that and we’re keen to hear what ideas local people have for how Tonedale Mill can be brought back to the heart of Wellington life.

“Any project here is going to have a huge impact on the town – and now’s the time for people to get involved – to come along and have their say about what they would like to see happen. Offices, workshops, studios, homes, markets, cafes, education outlets, or a mix of all these. At this point, we’re all ears.”

The group has has been working closely with Dr Joanne O’Hara, Wellington’s Heritage-at-Risk manager, to develop new thinking about the possibilities at Tonedale and has received grants from Somerset Community Foundation and the Architectural Heritage Fund to develop alternative uses for the site. Historic England has also provided advice and support.

Ben Fox, another director, said: “This is not some impossible dream. We’ve visited regenerated historic industrial sites from Watchet to Derbyshire and seen what amazing things can be achieved by turning these 19th century factories into offices, workshops, studios and homes.

"It’s the mix of uses that’s crucial in making the projects economically viable.”

The original timber structure at Tonedale was built in 1754, and rebuilt in brick after a fire in 1821. At its busiest it was the largest mill in the south-west, employing more than 3,600 people at its peak.

The consultation day will run from 10.00am until 3.00pm in the car park near the Brazier coffee shop. People will also be able to share their comments and ideas, as well as view the presentations afterwards at wellingtonmills.org.