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 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. This funding is designed to regenerate town centres to boost businesses, improve infrastructure, encourage enterprise and bring communities together. The link to the Government’s Town Deal Prospectus and other guidance is found here.
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 economic opportunities for the town.
Addressing the objectives outlined in the Glastonbury Town Investment Plan, the funding is 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 is putting 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 Government in January 2021 and a letter of intent was received in June 2021. A formal grant offer was received in November 2021 stating that Glastonbury would receive up to £23.6m of Towns Fund grant subject to submitting a HM Treasury 5-case Business Case for each project setting out the case for investment in order to secure the funding. The completed Business Cases went through a local assurance process and were submitted at the end of June 2022. Confirmation that £23.6M of capital funding had been awarded was received in late September 2022.
Projects are now in the delivery phase and all projects need to be completed by March 2026.
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
Capital schemes in progress
From Autumn 2022 to 31st March, 2026
Projects up and running
from April 2026
Who is responsible?
Somerset Council is the accountable body leading the process with the Glastonbury Town Deal Board. The individual project teams are managing and delivering 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 update local residents and businesses of progress.
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 and training providers and support available to help them get involved in the projects.
Further community events are held annually in March and details will be shared locally and on this website once information is confirmed.
Business opportunities
The Town Deal investment and projects are bringing many opportunities for local suppliers and contractors over the coming years. The aim is for projects to use contractors with a 20 mile radius of Glastonbury.
Any local businesses or suppliers that are interested in working on the Glastonbury Town Deal projects should email their contact details 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 sets 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 accelerator funding in 2021/22 for investing in five small capital projects that would have an immediate impact and help places “build back better” in the wake of Covid-19.
Alongside Glastonbury, there is also an exciting Town Deal taking shape in Bridgwater. Find out more about Bridgwater Town Deal.
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]
