Glastonbury football club will not be relocating following changes within a major town centre regeneration scheme, contrary to information presented to Mendip District Councillors.

The Glastonbury town deal will see £23.6M of central government funding invested in 12 projects over the next four years, with a view towards revitalising the town centre and providing long-term economic and social benefits for the community.

One of the original projects would have seen Glastonbury Town FC relocated from its current stadium on Godney Road to become part of a wider community sports and leisure hub build around Tor Sports and Leisure Centre off the A361 Street Road.

But the town deal board has now clarified that, contrary to earlier reports, the club will not be relocating as part of the sports hub project – with district councillors being provided with information nearly six months out of date.

The original version of the Glastonbury town investment plan (TIP – which was submitted to the government in January 2021) included a pledge to bring Glastonbury Town FC into the new leisure hub, with a new clubhouse being built along an all-weather pitch that could also support field hockey, tennis and netball.

These claims were reiterated by representatives from Fusion Leisure, which operates the leisure centre, during a presentation to Mendip District Council's scrutiny board on May 17.

Speaking at the time, Fusion Leisure business manager Rob Taylor confirmed £1.87M from the town deal fund would be invested in the project, describing it as "a once-in-a-generation investment".

The town deal board has subsequently clarified that this information was out of date, with the football club's relocation and an all-weather pitche no longer being on the cards.

A spokesman said: "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 hub was abandoned due to the revised plans for the site."

The town board said the presentation given to the scrutiny board was based on an annual review of Fusion Leisure's activities from December 2021, and had not been updated since that time.

The final business cases for all 12 town deal projects will be submitted to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) at the end of June, with the funding expected to be released by the end of the year.

Mr Taylor said the new hub would still be of enormous benefit to the people of Glastonbury despite the football club no longer being a factor.

He said: "A wide range of sports clubs and leisure users will be able to benefit from the improvements. Clubs and customers will include the gymnastics and acrobatics club, bowls club, martial arts club, gym members and, of course, the wider community who will be able to access the improved facilities for a broad range of health and well-being purposes.

"In addition, we are still working closely with Glastonbury Town FC to explore ways in which we can help the club develop as part of our wider commitment to all the sports clubs in the town.

"The aim of the new hub is to create a space that can be used by local residents not only for sport but also for education, health and well-being support and general socialising, so the Glastonbury community as a whole should benefit from the renovation."

In addition to the town deal allocation, Mr Taylor said that his company would be investing further in the site as part of the regeneration effort.

He said: "We will need to invest in the equipment and fittings in the building to ensure there is a high level of service.

"It is anticipated that national governing bodies for some of the sports that use the facilities will be able to provide some level of investment, and additional investment and match funding opportunities are being explored."

Jane Sharp, programme manager of the Glastonbury town deal, said a number of the existing clubs would need to temporarily relocate during the work to deliver the new hub, which is expected to begin next year.

She said' "We anticipate that work to the clubhouse will take approximately ten months, and during this time alternative arrangements will be put in place for the customers and clubs that would usually use the facilities.

"There will be minimum disruption to the outdoor pitches, so these can continue to be used as usual during the improvement works.

"We hope that the town deal grant will be confirmed in the autumn of 2022. The next step will be to secure planning permission for the renovations, so we anticipate that work could begin in 2023."