HISTORIC ENGLAND have ring-fenced £500,000 to go towards refurbishments of the Mechanics Institute as part of their investment into Swindon's Heritage Action Zone.

An additional £40,000 has been earmarked to help Swindon Borough Council come up with a viable plan for the building's future before the refurb is carried out. The council expects a blueprint to be ready by Christmas.

This news received a lot of responses from Adver readers on our website and Facebook page.

CATHERINE WATERFIELD: "Would that amount even fix the roof?"

MARK FISHER: "It needs about five million."

DEAN KERSHAW: "While it's better than nothing, a trust chairman said in 2016 that it needs upwards of £15 million to restore it.

"Did you see the Youtube video earlier this year? Shocking what lies beneath those hoardings."

JEANETTE GALE: "This is fantastic news, we have lost so so many buildings."

TRISTIAN-SARAH GREEN: "I had been in there when I was 18, that's around 20 years ago, and it's a complete mess which will cost more than £500,000 to fix it up.

"I just can not understand why it was left so long and left to rot away, the damage inside is so bad from leaks in the windows, the roof, pigeons, and vandals.

"So sad, it's such a lovely building and has so much potential for what it can be used for."

TERRY NOBLE: "I think the council want to leave it long enough so it's unrepairable so they can then get away with tearing it down to build on the site."

DENNIS SHAW: "Are you sure the £500k isn't for more scaffolding to hold it up with more boarding around it?"

MARK JEFFERIES: "It should be the new art gallery for the people of Swindon."

ALAN FIELD: "About time, there have been so many previous failed projects."

PAUL MATHIS: "That's nowhere near enough, this has been going on long enough."

RICKY GALLO: "It needs knocking down."

'GRITTHEOYSTER': "It's a sticking plaster. The Mechanics Institute needs a proper plan and commitment to bring it into active use, not just a stay of execution for another 10 years."

'STILLPAV': "Do Swindon taxpayers have any say in this matter?

"I don't want the council to take ownership as it then means Swindon taxpayers are on the hook for the bulk of the renovation costs.

"Half a million won't even touch the sides and I can guarantee the 'viability' study will be some community use nonsense which isn't commercially viable.

"If a plan to make the Mechanics stand on its own two feet financially cannot be found then not a penny of taxpayers' money should be wasted on the project."

''WHATAWORLD': "Give this task to someone that knows how to plan this type of job and how to budget, then the money might actually go a long way to restoring what could be an incredible building and venue."

'FAATMAAN': "Hopefully this will prove the building has no real worth to the community and in the long run it could not be self-financing.

"Hopefully the demolition costs will be covered by this grant and the council should have no ownership in this because it would entail of public finance to keep it going.

"Give it 20 years and the supporters will probably not be able to support it anyway so this will become someone else's burden. We would be better off with a bigger concert venue rather than an aging building that offers very little except a vanity project for the chosen few."