PLANS for Glastonbury Abbey Piazza have been approved by Mendip District Council - the second Glastonbury Town Deal project granted planning permission.

The development will see the construction of an open piazza space at the abbey entrance of town, providing a public meeting space for residents and visitors.

The main entrance approaches and visitor reception facilities will be enhanced, including the construction of a new ticket office, toilets and shop/café.

The project will improve the tourism attraction's visibility, accessibility and physical connection to the town.

It will encourage more people to visit, improving the abbey's financial resilience and boosting the town’s cultural strengths.

It will in turn generate footfall for other businesses in the town centre, providing wider economic and social benefits for Glastonbury.

Janet Bell, director of Glastonbury Abbey, said: “We are delighted that we have received planning permission so that our project can go ahead.

"We have already received Scheduled Monuments Consent, which was also necessary for such an important archaeological site.

"We are now looking forward to working with our project team and stakeholders on the more detailed aspects of the designs for the buildings and landscaping of the piazza area.

"We expect work to start on site in September and are working towards completion in May or June 2024.”

Cllr Jon Cousins, Mayor of Glastonbury and a Glastonbury Town Deal board member, said: “This project is very close to my heart, for two reasons.

"Firstly, the abbey itself is the reason why modern-day Glastonbury is here.

"Many thousands of people come to the abbey every year and this project will greatly enhance the visitor experience.

"The Piazza will provide an opportunity for people to come and enjoy the abbey environment without necessarily paying to go in.

"They will be able to rest, relax and get a real flavour of what the abbey is all about.

“Secondly, it will tie in with the developments we’re planning with the Town Hall for a glass atrium as part of the health and wellbeing hub at St Dunstan’s House, which is also part of the Glastonbury Town Deal."

The Glastonbury Abbey Piazza project has been allocated £940,000 through the Glastonbury Town Deal for capital expenditure, with an additional £500,000 of match-funding being sought.

The Glastonbury Town Deal aim to deliver a ‘levelling up’ opportunity, bringing existing assets back into community use, and working with local communities to develop the spaces and resources they want and need.

The vision is for Glastonbury to be a sustainable, prosperous, modern town and global tourist centre, drawing on its rural landscape, history and unique legacy.