Plans to establish a food and regenerative farming centre in Glastonbury have been officially terminated after the fallout from the failed Life Factory project.
Somerset Council’s chief executive, Duncan Sharkey, issued a formal apology on December 9 for the mismanagement of the Life Factory initiative. The project had involved a £2.89 million public investment to repurpose the Red Brick Building on Morland Road into a community events space, offices, and additional facilities, but ultimately did not succeed.
In response to an investigation by auditors Grant Thornton, Somerset Council released a ‘lessons learned’ report that outlined key errors underpinning the Life Factory failure and made recommendations to prevent similar issues in the future.
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The report also confirmed the cancellation of the separate Glastonbury food and regenerative farming centre, which was part of the town deal. The council is now working to recover funds previously granted to Red Brick Building Centre Ltd. (RBBCL), the organisation responsible for managing the project.
This farming centre was planned on farmland south of Porchestall Drove between the Sydenham Timber Centre and Bride’s Mound—the latter itself being revitalized through the town deal. Granted planning permission in October 2023, the centre was designed as a community-led agro-ecological facility focused on local food production and environmental education.
Initial proposals presented in May 2023 described the centre as a space where people could engage in hands-on learning to work with the land sustainably, improving soil health, biodiversity, and natural ecosystems. The project aimed to reduce food miles by producing local food, bolster food resilience, and support the mental and physical well-being of the community.
The bulk of the site was to support crop growing, an apothecary and herb garden, wetlands, and a forest school. Infrastructure plans included a processing barn, roundhouses for training, shipping containers converted into kitchens and offices, poly-tunnels, and composting toilets.
Additionally, new footpaths were planned under the Robert Richards initiative—a separate town deal project—linking the farming centre to the Life Factory and other developments within the Beckery Village area of Glastonbury.
The ‘lessons learned’ report, published on the council’s website on December 12, made clear that the regenerative farming centre would no longer proceed.
A council spokesperson explained: “This project was reliant on Red Brick Building Centre Ltd. (RBBCL), which held the funding agreement and was the grant recipient. £1,257,368 was allocated to the project, and Somerset Council has formally terminated it, seeking to reclaim £115,715. While there were no reported delivery issues from involved partners or staff, the project’s legal and financial frameworks were problematic.”
The future of a regenerative farming initiative in Glastonbury remains uncertain. It is unclear if the project can be revived with a new delivery partner before the town deal funding deadline in late March 2027.
The council’s executive forward plan includes an agenda item to decide on the reallocation of the Glastonbury town fund grant, scheduled for its next meeting on January 7, 2026.