Grade II listed building is being sustainably restored and rebuilt, to provide eight serviced offices, community space for workshops and events, and a bistro serving local and organic produce.

Having stood derelict for over a decade, the historic warehouse at Great Bow Yard, Langport, will be re-opened by Ecos Homes and the Langport Area Development Trust (LADT) on Friday 27 (1pm - 5pm) and Saturday 28 April (10am - 1pm). The open days will give people the first opportunity to see how the Grade II listed building is being sustainably restored and rebuilt, to provide eight serviced offices, community space for workshops and events, and a bistro serving local and organic produce. Charles Couzens, Executive Director of Ecos Trust, comments: 'We are very pleased to be re-opening the doors of such a prominent building, which has been in a state of dereliction for such a long time.

The warehouse is of great historic value to the town and we have been sensitive to this throughout the project, during which we have preserved as much of the building's original character as possible.

'Our vision is that the building will become a valuable community resource that will encourage economic regeneration by offering space for fledgling or existing businesses, training, exhibitions and support facilities.

Although there is still work to be done, we want to show visitors what has been achieved in the warehouse in the last year and they'll also get a glimpse of its idyllic surroundings beside the River Parrett and Somerset Levels.' The warehouse played an important role in the growth of Langport as a river port.

It was formerly used by a firm of influential merchants, Stuckey and Bagehot, whose families individually and respectively went on to become founders of Stuckey's Bank, now part of Natwest Bank, and The Economist magazine.

Restored, the warehouse will complete the picture of Great Bow Yard as a mixed-use development - 12 eco-homes, built using state of the art design, and the multi-functional warehouse, brought back to life with sympathetic construction techniques.

The warehouse will be opened officially in September when ownership of the building will be handed to the LADT - partner to Ecos Homes during the project.

Gillam and Chivers, a local company specialising in the conservation of old buildings, has used sustainable building techniques and existing local building materials to gradually restore the warehouse.

All features have been carefully preserved or rebuilt, for example; existing timbers have been carefully restored in-situ and window frames have been made locally by Ian Pope from Timber Reuse Community Enterprise (TRUCE) in Minehead, who has used reclaimed and recycled timber.

Floorboards have been reused and it is estimated that over 80% of the original roof tiles will be placed back on the roof.

Despite being a listed building, it has been possible to include several key sustainable features within the warehouse; solar panels have been placed discreetly on one of the roofs, high levels of Warmcell insulation have been used, and efficient sun pipes let in light without loss of heat in the main corridors.

As a result of these energy efficient measures the warehouse will be carbon efficient.

Richard Coldicott, LADT Project Manager concludes: 'Our vision is that the warehouse will become an integral part of the local community and be a valuable aid to the local economy.

This project is a fantastic example of how an old, neglected building can be sustainably transformed into a community resource and we very much look forward to showing people around.'