Glastonbury farm centre plan could be revived

By Laura Linham 19th May 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 1 hour ago

Plans for a food and regenerative farming centre in Glastonbury could be revived by Somerset Council if strict conditions are met.

The £1.3m project was part of the £23.6m Glastonbury town deal and was planned for farmland south of Porchestall Drove, between the Sydenham Timber Centre and Bride's Mound.

The council formally terminated the farming project in December 2025 following the scandal surrounding the Life Factory project, which remains subject to an ongoing police investigation.

The centre had secured planning permission in October 2023 and was described as a community-led agro-ecological facility where people could learn about producing local food.

Under the original plans, the site would have included crop growing, an apothecary and herb garden, wetlands, a forest school, a processing barn, training roundhouses, kitchens, offices, poly-tunnels and composting toilets.

New footpaths were also planned through the Robert Richards initiative, linking the centre with other town deal projects around the Beckery Village area.

In late April, Somerset Council appointed Lambert Smith Hampton as receiver to secure the farmland and place it under independent management while the council retains its legal charge over the land.

The council has now said the project could be taken forward using £150,000 from a wider £1,408,000 reallocation of surplus Glastonbury town deal funding.

But three conditions must be met first.

Any land bought for the project must be transferred out of the ownership of Red Brick Building Centre Ltd.

Further due diligence must also be carried out on Bridie's Farm community interest company to confirm it is an acceptable grant recipient.

If those conditions are met, a grant funding agreement between Somerset Council and Bridie's Farm CIC must be in place before work begins.

Jane Sharp, the council's regeneration specialist for the former Mendip area, said the decision to reallocate the available grant needed to be made quickly so recipients could firm up costs, engage contractors and deliver builds within the 2026-27 financial year.

She said unspent grant must be returned to government at the end of the town deal programme in March 2028.

A Somerset Council spokesperson said the original grant funding agreement with RBBCL was terminated in December 2025 after assurance work showed non-delivery and weak financial controls relating to the Life Factory project.

The spokesperson said town deal funding for the farm had been identified by a SWAP audit as misallocated money, which the council is working to recover.

They added that the council remained committed to securing the future of the Glastonbury food and regenerative farming centre.

The council said it had lodged a claim to recover funding provided for the Life Factory project, but would not pursue that claim while Red Brick develops and delivers a viable recovery plan for the organisation.

Original reporter: Daniel Mumby/LDRS