Glastonbury could pilot a "temporary stopping place" for travellers – but Somerset Council has admitted there is still no deadline for a permanent site.

The update came at a meeting in Taunton on Wednesday, 5 November, where councillor Tom Power pressed for answers on what progress had been made since a taskforce was promised in August.

Communities across Somerset – including Glastonbury, Burnham-on-Sea, and Bridgwater – faced unauthorised encampments over the summer. Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts had then pledged a new taskforce to help identify a transit site. But this week she confirmed: "As there is no current site, we are unable to put timescales on this work."

Smith-Roberts, who leads on communities and housing, said the council had made progress on short-term deterrents. Security improvements have been made at Silk Mills park and ride in Taunton and at Bridgwater's BM car park. In Burnham, concrete barriers have been used at the Bay Centre, and further upgrades are planned along the Esplanade and at Priory Gardens.

The council is also working with Bristol City Council to understand its model of "meanwhile sites" – temporary traveller areas on land earmarked for future development.

Smith-Roberts said: "The Glastonbury Town Deal enabling project may offer an opportunity to pilot this approach in Glastonbury, and work is ongoing."

The enabling project is part of the town's £23.6 million regeneration deal. It includes a plan for off-road accommodation for Glastonbury's non-bricks-and-mortar community, allowing other schemes – such as the Baily's Buildings redevelopment – to move forward.

A previous proposal for a permanent site at Porchestall Drove was scrapped in July 2024 after the land flooded twice in one winter. Avalon Community Energy now plans to build a solar farm there under a separate Town Deal scheme.

The council says it is continuing to assess potential locations and will consult communities "at the appropriate time".

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Reporting: LDRS - Daniel Mumby