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Town Fund: Bridgwater and Glastonbury allocated millions

Google Red Brick Building, GlastonburyGoogle
The completion of the Red Brick Building in Glastonbury can now take place

A tidal barrier scheme and projects to support jobseekers can now go ahead in two towns thanks to funding allocated to help them recover from the pandemic.

Glastonbury and Bridgwater will receive £23.6m and £22.6m respectively from the government's £3.6bn Town Fund.

In Bridgwater the tidal barrier scheme will get a share of the cash.

In Glastonbury, the money will be used to set up vocational hubs and an enterprise and innovation centre to help people out of work.

Bridgwater Carnival Bridgwater Carnival - Marketeers ClubBridgwater Carnival
Some money has been awarded to the Carnival Club which organises the popular annual event in Bridgwater

The Glastonbury funding will go towards setting up an innovation centre in Beckery House and also completing the work at social enterprise The Red Brick Building.

New homes will also be built, along with cycle paths and footpaths.

MP for Wells and Glastonbury, James Heappey, said: "It's hugely exciting that we've effectively got all of the money that we asked for and will be able to deliver, with a few caveats, of everything that we've pitched."

Sedgemoor District Council which pulled together the bid for the money for Bridgwater said it does not yet have a full breakdown of how the grant will be spent.

The authority said the grant would be matched with other private and public funding bringing the total amount that will be invested in the town to £160m.

Sedgemoor District Council/EA Bridgwater tidal barrierSedgemoor District Council/EA
The planned Bridgwater tidal barrier has two 'vertical lift' gates that would be closed when a very high tide is expected

The £99m tidal barrier across the River Parrett in Bridgwater is expected to protect around 11,300 homes and 1,500 businesses from flooding.

The annual Bridgwater Carnival will benefit from the Town Fund and plans to use its share to improve its production space in the town centre.

Carnival spokesman Chris Hocking team said: "It's very important because we are planning a major redevelopment of the area where we build our entries.

"We need a better working space - it's vital to the success of the carnival both for the people taking part and the audience and the local community."

A share of the grant will go towards restoring the docks in Bridgwater.

The £3.6bn Towns Fund, first unveiled in July 2019, is aimed at kickstarting urban regeneration and boosting green transport infrastructure, tourism and jobs.

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