EDITORIAL NOTE: this article has been amended to reflect that the Morlands travellers' site is not directly associated with the Glastonbury town deal.

Two of Glastonbury's most historic buildings will be brought back into use to give new local businesses an affordable base.

The Baily's Buildings on Beckery Old Road was a major employer in the town until its closure in the 1980s, manufacturing a range of sporting goods – including boxing gloves worn by Henry Cooper, Mohammad Ali and Floyd Patterson.

The site was identified as one of 11 projects within the Glastonbury town deal, which has received £23.6m of central government funding and is designed to revitalise the town's economy and secure its future.

Following the approval of the final business cases in September, the Beckery Island Regeneration Trust has put forward formal plans for how the buildings will be regenerated in the years ahead.

Mendip District Council is expected to make a decision on the plans in early-2023.

The grade two listed buildings lie either side of Beckery Old Road, near the town's Aldi supermarket and the Morlands travellers' site.

Under the proposals, the two buildings – dubbed Baily's East and Baily's West – will be re-purposed into a sustainable hub for local start-ups as well as small and growing businesses.

On the ground floor of Baily's West, a museum commemorating Glastonbury's industrial heritage will be created, along with a café, toilets and various workspaces.

Numerous different office and workshop spaces will be created across all three floors of both Baily's West and Baily's East, with outdoor covered space being provided on Beckery Old road itself to allow events to be staged.

A new car park will be created on vacant land at the western end of Beckery Old Road, with a new bridge over the existing stream and improvements being made to the existing cycle route which runs through the site.

A spokesman for Architecton (representing the trust) said: "The aim is to create a place to work that is like a village community for small businesses in the Glastonbury and Street areas.

"People would be able to work flexibly in a hybrid way, with shared spaces that allow easy interaction with each other.

"The trust wishes to provide quality workspaces that suit the new ways of flexible hybrid working that are now needed following the covid-19 pandemic."

This is the first of the Glastonbury town deal projects to formally move forward following the approval of the final business cases in September by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

The remaining ten projects included in the town deal are:

• Establishment of the Glastonbury Enterprise and Innovation Hub at Beckery House on Beckery Old Road
• Regeneration of Building C to establish The Life Factory on Morland Road
• The Glastonbury Clean Energy Project, delivering low-carbon energy to local businesses
• New visitor facilities at St Brigid's Chapel and Field
• Delivering the Glastonbury Food and Regenerative Farming Centre
• An "enabling project" to regenerate Beckery Village and provide improved provision for the non-bricks and mortar communities in the town
• Providing the St Dunstan's Community Health and Well-being Centre next door to the town hall
• A project to enhance the entrance to Glastonbury Abbey
• Creating the Glastonbury Community Sports and Leisure Hub on the A361 Street Road
• The Robert Richards initiative, which will include new and improved pedestrian and cycling links around the town

The council is expected to make a decision on the Baily's Building proposals early in the new year.