Following some inaccuracies in a recent article in the local press, the Town Deal Board would like to clarify the situation regarding the plans for a Glastonbury Community Sports and Leisure Hub at the Tor Sports and Leisure site.
The original Town Investment Plan was put together in 2020 and submitted to the government in January 2021. While it did indeed reference a new all-weather pitch, this idea was abolished earlier this year following engagement with local residents who were resistant to the proposal, as well as a playing pitch needs assessment that confirmed an all-weather pitch was not required.
The Town Deal plans for the Glastonbury Community Sports and Leisure Hub no longer include an all-weather pitch, tiered seating or floodlights. The existing building will not be demolished – instead it will be refurbished and possibly extended, keeping disruption to a minimum.
In addition, the proposal for Glastonbury Town Football Club to relocate to the new Sports and Leisure Hub was abandoned due to the revised plans for the site.
The presentation referenced in the article that was given to the council’s scrutiny board on Tuesday was an annual review about Fusion Leisure, dated December 2021. While the Glastonbury Community Sports and Leisure Hub project has evolved considerably since that time, the slides had unfortunately not been updated, hence the confusion.
We are continuing to work on the business cases for the Glastonbury Town Deal projects, which must be submitted to the government by the end of June 2022. They will then be reviewed by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and, subject to approval, we hope that funds will be released later this year. However, none of the funding has yet been confirmed, nor will it be unless and until the projects receive government approval.
