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Town fund will help Glastonbury grow – literally
A SCHEME to plant trees – including willow – is underway in Glastonbury as part of a Government-backed project to revitalise the town. Town councillors and volunteers planted hundreds of withies on Herbie’s Field – ten acres of land bought by the authority as a community space and for car parking for events – as well as a hedgerow. Meanwhile, the council has installed a number of tree planters in key locations around the town, but they have received a mix reaction to their appearance. Herbie’s Field is part of what is being described as an Accelerator Project as the council spends an initial £500,000 as part of the government’s £3.6bn Towns Fund. Glastonbury is one of 101 towns earmarked to benefit from the fund with the opportunity to secure up Willows are planted by pushing the withies directly into the marshy ground
Town councillor Brian Outten at Herbie’s Field
COMMUNITY
The planting team at Herbie’s Field – there is a proposal to grow cricket bat willow on the site
to £24.5m of investment for the town. Other projects proposed range from creating a new piazza entrance to Glastonbury Abbey and a new sports
hub at Tor leisure Centre to refurbishing buildings on the former Morlands factory site.
The iconic former Morlands factory gates now sit at the entrance to Herbie’s Field
One of the town centre planters – but not everyone is a fan
MENDIP TIMES • MAY 2021 • PAGE 77
