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South West RDA and protestors at Morlands agree way forward

12 January 2009

Protestors occupying a dangerous derelict building on the Morlands site in Glastonbury have agreed to leave the building by midday tomorrow (Tuesday, January 13) following a private meeting with the South West RDA today (Monday, January 12).

At the meeting, the RDA, which owns the site, reiterated its commitment to attend a Glastonbury Town Council meeting to give a public update on Morlands and discuss future prospects for the site as a whole.

The Mayor of Glastonbury, Tom Billing, is arranging a time and date for this to be held but it is likely to be in the next few weeks.

The RDA has also agreed to defer demolition of the red brick building until the council meeting and to give the protestors two weeks notice if demolition is to go ahead.

Carl Budden, head of regeneration at the South West RDA, said: "Today's meeting went well. We have listened to their concerns and are pleased that the protestors have agreed to leave the red brick building.

"However, this is a dangerous building which poses a serious risk to members of the public so the two-week notice period is conditional on there being no further occupation of the building."

The protestors also put forward ideas about how the building could be used and the RDA has agreed to talk to Urban Splash about how these ideas could be taken forward. The red brick building sits on the land that is to be developed by Urban Splash.

Mr Budden continued: "We have explained the importance of keeping the building secure and the protestors have agreed to work with us to discourage trespassing at the site.

"We are pleased to have come to an amicable agreement and hope the protestors feel their concerns have been listened to and acted on."

Ends

For more information call Sue Dawson at Spirit Public Relations on 0117 944 1415 or email sdawson@spiritpublicrelations.co.uk

Notes to Editors

1) The South West RDA leads the development of a sustainable economy, investing to unlock the region's business potential. It is helping companies respond to the economic crisis and charts a course for recovery. The RDA is developing or expanding initiatives which include: establishing a Business Loan Fund; coordinating the response to large companies in difficulty; preparing for economic recovery.

Contact Details

Name Sue Dawson
Tel 0117 944 1415
Email sdawson@spiritpublicrelations.co.uk