DISTRICT councillors have agreed to help pay the fees involved in preparing Williton's former workhouse for conversion to a £4.24 million West Somerset civic centre.

Somerset Building Preservation Trust wants to restore the dilapidated grade two listed workhouse and turn it into a council headquarters.

Other community facilities such as the village police station and its register office could also be relocated to the renovated property.

The scheme depends on the success of a county council compulsory purchase order which was the subject of a four-day public inquiry last month.

The county hopes to use its compulsory powers to buy the workhouse building from businessman Peter Bate and land to the rear from developers Union Court (Somerset) Ltd.

Union Court, which objected to the order, and former owners S. Notaro Ltd, of Bridgwater, both argued a housing development was the best way to ensure preservation of the workhouse.

The two companies said Magna Housing Association had expressed an interest in buying the whole of the site.

Alternatively, either firm could go ahead with its own plans to build homes, making a start within three months.

District council chief executive Colin Rockall told the authority's cabinet last week the outcome of the inquiry would not be known until some time in the New Year.

Mr Rockall said: "Failure to confirm the order would undoubtedly mean the scheme could not proceed.

"More importantly, it could cast considerable doubt on the future of the building, which is acknowledged as being of considerable regional importance."

Mr Rockall said it had been a long-held view that the only realistic alternative to converting the workhouse to council offices was a residential development.

However, the high cost of restoring the historic property meant residential use never appeared to be a financially viable option.

Mr Rockall said the council had previously taken the view it would not stand in the way of a housing scheme if it was clear such a project could succeed.

The authority had even indicated social housing grant could be given to a satisfactory scheme.

However, Mr Rockall said in the meantime the preservation trust wanted to progress its own plans to ensure it did not lose an offer of £744,000 of National Lottery funds.

He said stage one of the trust's plan was to carry out emergency works to the building and to use professionals to prepare a detailed schedule of its condition and the necessary repairs.

"It will involve also the preparation of preliminary specification information with a brief to consultants to address any specific design issues which might impact on the workhouse's historic fabric," he said.

"All of this work is key to the obtaining of further grants from the lottery fund and English Heritage."

Mr Rockall said the stage one costs were estimated at £108,000, of which the Heritage Lottery Fund would meet £70,000.

It was suggested the county council should contribute £25,000 and the district authority should find the balance of £13,000.

Trust secretary David Miller asked the cabinet in a letter for permission to retain the architect, quantity surveyor, and structural engineering firms which had worked on the scheme to date.

Mr Miller said all three had an excellent reputation in the field of repair and conversion of major historic buildings.

They each also submitted fees for the next stage of the project at a level considerably below normal charges.

Mr Miller said it reflected "their willingness to carry some risk in taking the project forward".

He said: "This is essential to the trust, as even with the lottery grant offered we would have insufficient resources to meet the full fees.

"Over the last three years the trust has developed an excellent working relationship with the consultant team and to seek to change now at this relatively advanced stage would lead to considerable delay and disruption."

Cabinet members agreed to contribute £13,000 from the authority's capital budget, but also to express support in principle for a social housing option if it was clearly viable and likely to happen within an acceptable timescale.

Councillors also agreed to support the trust in retaining its existing professional advisers.

Council technical projects officer Kelvin Rufus was appointed to take over a co-ordinating role, in view of Mr Rockall's impending departure from the authority next July.

Mr Rufus was told to consult and brief "appropriate councillors" on progress with the workhouse project and to submit regular updates to the cabinet.

l Cabinet members agreed to ask the county council for the time being not to relocate Williton register office to Minehead.

County solicitor Andrew North said in a letter an opportunity had arisen to move to a social services-owned property in Parkhouse Road, Minehead.

Mr North said marriages could continue in Williton by licensing the district council chamber.

The Minehead building was already used by the registrar of births and deaths, and there was greater demand in the larger town for a marriage room.

A single office in Williton for the registrar of births and deaths would also be retained wherever the district's centralised offices were.

Mr North said it had been a long-term aim of the county authority to relocate the tiny Williton register office to a more suitable building.

He recognised the interest in Williton's former workhouse but said a larger capital sum would be needed to create a register office there.

District councillors agreed to ask for the register office to stay in Long Street, Williton, on the basis that it would relocate to wherever the authority's centralised offices were built.