A WHOPPING £500,000 boost from Historic England will go towards refurbishments for one of Swindon’s oldest buildings.

Historic England earmarked the extra funding for the Mechanics Institute through the Heritage Action Zone which covers the railway village area and is the newest of 18 such zones around the country.

An initial £40,000 will will help Swindon Borough Council hash out a plan for the iconic institute before the council bids to take back ownership of the building and spend the half a million on giving it a long-overdue tidy-up.

Cabinet member for the town centre Dale Heenan expects a blueprint for the plans to be ready by Christmas.

He said: “The Mechanics is usually the first building people think of when you talk heritage. If we are serious about doing this, then everyone must think differently. All I see is sniping and negativity, meaning nothing ever happens because it’s always too big a problem - this must change.

“By focusing on the key issues blocking restoration and not being fixated on one aspect, we have been able to pull together a delivery plan, where work has already started.

“The Mechanics Trust, and partners, will deliver a definitive viability study of future uses for the building by Christmas. Drone surveys are being scheduled and visible work on tidying up the site is being organised.

“Historic England earmarking £500,000 for the Mechanics project is a great statement of positive intent by them and shows we are on the right path.

“This £500,000 will provide a solid foundation for action in 2020 and 2021. We want people to be enthusiastic and hopeful, while managing expectations because it will take time.

“The Mechanics is a problem no-one has cracked in 30 years, but that is exactly what the Conservatives want to solve.”

A spokeswoman for Historic England said: "The preparatory work underway to understand the condition of the building, and to explore options for its future use, will tell us more about the works needed, how long they will take and, crucially, when they can start.

"We are working with our partners to find an inspiring and sustainable new use for the Mechanics Institute, which will be in keeping with its significance to Swindon and the railway village."

"The funding that has been allocated through the Heritage Action Zone signals the importance we all place on this project, and our readiness to invest in the regeneration of the Mechanics Institute.

"We have committed £1.6million to the Swindon Heritage Action Zone. As part of that, an initial £40,000 has been allocated to the Mechanics Institute for preparatory work with a further £500,000 ring-fenced towards the costs of refurbishments once a plan for the building has been agreed."