Police ‘start preliminary enquiries’ into Red Brick regeneration project

SOMERSET police have begun a review into a troubled regeneration project in Glastonbury.

- DANIEL MUMBY Local democracy journalist

‘The Red Brick Building, located on Morland Road in Glastonbury, has been the subject of significant building work as part of the £23.6m Glastonbury town deal, with the derelict ‘Building C’ being transformed into community events space, offices, and other facilities.

Somerset Council officially ‘paused’ funding for the project in January 2024 amid serious concerns being raised about its management, with the South West Audit Partnership (SWAP) delivering a scathing verdict on how the project had been managed in May 2025.

The council has now confirmed that Avon and Somerset Police’s fraud team has begun an official investigation into the project - and that any further work on the building may not be signed off until after Christmas.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police added: “We are carrying out preliminary enquiries following receipt of a report from an auditor service on behalf of Somerset Council, concerning the funding of the renovation project of the Life Factory in Glastonbury.

“Our fraud team is reviewing the documents to establish whether there is any potential evidence of criminality that would warrant a formal criminal investigation to be carried out.”

Taunton resident Brenda Orr raised the issue when the council's audit committee met in Taunton on Monday, September 29.

She said: “I note that SWAP was due to report on this in June but that has now been pushed back to December.