Glastonbury

The Glastonbury Town Deal has secured £23.6 million investment for the town, representing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver the objectives outlined in the Town Investment Plan

Introduction

The Glastonbury Town Deal has secured £23.6 million investment for the town, representing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver the objectives outlined in the Town Investment Plan.

With regeneration and sustainability at the heart of the 11 Town Deal projects, the overall aim is to preserve Glastonbury’s heritage and restore its existing assets in order to revitalise and enrich the town.

The Town Investment Plan was developed by the Town Deal Board through engagement with key partners, businesses, community groups and Mendip District Council as the lead authority (now transferred to the Somerset Council unitary authority). The Town Deal projects are being coordinated and delivered by the members of the Glastonbury community.

Glastonbury is one of 101 towns in the UK to receive investment from the Government’s Towns Fund scheme, as part of its Levelling Up agenda. This funding is designed to ‘level up’ all parts of the country by regenerating town centres to boost businesses, improve infrastructure, encourage enterprise and bring communities together.

The Town Deal - What to expect and when

Bringing in £23.6m of investment, the Glastonbury Town Deal is a once-in-a-generation opportunity that aims to provide a necessary ‘levelling up’ opportunity for the town.

Addressing the objectives outlined in the Glastonbury Town Investment Plan, the funding will be focused on bringing existing assets back into community use and delivering the spaces and resources that are wanted and needed by the local community. The investment will put the foundations in place for Glastonbury to become a sustainable, prosperous, modern town and global tourist centre.

What has been achieved so far?

The Town Investment Plan was submitted to the government’s Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (now called the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) in January 2021. A letter of intent was received in June 2021, followed by a formal grant offer in November 2021 stating that Glastonbury would receive up to £23.6m from the government’s Towns Fund scheme across the financial years 2021/22 to 2025/26.

Detailed Business Cases were then developed for each of the projects, in line with HM Treasury’s Green Book and Supplementary Guidance. These covered the strategic, economic, commercial, financial and management aspects of each project. They included clear and measurable social, economic and environmental outcomes that would result in social and financial value for Glastonbury.

This process had to be carefully followed and viable Business Cases submitted to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in order to secure the funding. The completed Business Cases were submitted at the end of June 2022 and confirmation that the full funding amount had been granted was received in late September 2022.

Town Investment Plan Submitted

29th January, 2021

Heads of Terms letter received from Government

8th June, 2021

Signed Heads of Terms received from Government

29th June, 2021

Project Confirmation paperwork submitted

28th August, 2021

Grant Offer Letter received from Government

11th November, 2021

Started developing Project Business Cases

From September, 2021

Project Business Cases completed

by 30th June, 2022

All documentation submitted to Government

30th June, 2022

Confirmation received for full £23.6m funding

Late September, 2022

Where are we now?

Now that Government funding has been confirmed for the 11 Glastonbury Town Deal projects, the delivery phase is underway. Work should begin fairly promptly as, in line with government requirements, all of the funding must be spent by the end of March 2026. As a result, these exciting plans should be realised for Glastonbury within a few years, regenerating and invigorating the town, bringing new facilities and fresh opportunities for the local community.

Capital schemes in progress

From Autumn 2022 to 31st March, 2026

Projects up and running

from April 2026

Who is responsible?

Somerset Council is leading the process with the Glastonbury Town Deal Board and working in partnership with the project teams.

The individual project teams will manage and deliver their projects, with ongoing support from the Town Deal Board and Somerset Council.

Community engagement

The Glastonbury community is very much at the heart of all the projects, so a number of open day events have been held where project teams were able to gather feedback and suggestions from local residents and businesses as part of the Business Case development process.

Some of the projects have evolved since the Town Investment Plan was published as a result of this community engagement and the wider Business Case process. Another open event was held in November 2022 to share the revised plans with the local community, as well as signposting people to the skills & training providers and support available to help them get involved in the projects. A further community event was held in March 2023, with the intention of making this an annual event in March each year to update the local community on progress and next steps with all eleven projects.

Business opportunities

The Town Deal investment and projects will bring many opportunities for local suppliers and contractors over the coming years.

Any local businesses or suppliers that are interested in working on the Glastonbury Town Deal projects should email their contact details and a summary of their services/skills to: glastonburytowndeal@somerset.gov.uk

Towns Fund – Town Deals

On 27 July 2019, the Prime Minister announced that the Towns Fund would support an initial 101 places across England to develop Town Deal proposals, to drive economic regeneration and deliver long-term economic and productivity growth.

A Town Deal is an agreement in principle between government, the Lead Council and the Town Deal Board. It will set out a vision and strategy for the town, and what each party agrees to do to achieve this vision.

Each of the 101 towns selected to work towards a Town Deal also received accelerated funding last year for investment in capital projects that would have an immediate impact and help places “build back better” in the wake of Covid-19.

Boundary Map

Click the image below to download an Adobe pdf document of the Glastonbury Town Deal boundary map.  [6.54mb]

Town Investment plan

The Glastonbury Town Investment Plan was developed by the Town Deal Board through engagement with key partners, businesses, community groups and Mendip District Council as the lead authority.

Submitted to the government in January 2021, the Plan aims to drive regeneration, generate sustainable economic productivity and improve wellbeing.

In June 2021, the government confirmed ‘heads of terms’ for grant funding of £23.6million for Glastonbury to deliver the concepts and objectives outlined in Glastonbury’s Town Investment Plan. Following the development of comprehensive Business Cases for each project, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities confirmed in late September 2022 that the full funding amount for Glastonbury had been granted.

Town Investment Plan

Download the Glastonbury Town Investment Plan (Adobe pdf document) [19.48mb]