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Town pauses World Heritage pursuit after backlash

James DiamondWest of England
News imagePA Media An aerial image shows Glastonbury Tor with the town in the background, on a cloudy summer's day. Around a dozen people can be seen on the hill near the Tor.PA Media
Glastonbury councillors believe they could have managed community engagement better

Glastonbury councillors have paused a bid to gain World Heritage status after residents feared it could drive overtourism.

For the past year, the town council has explored whether Glastonbury meets UNESCO's "outstanding universal value" criteria, which could help protect it from overdevelopment.

But more than 3,800 signed a petition against the plans, with some fearing the new status would endanger the town's "very organic, spiritual and diverse" environment.

Conor Ogilvie-Davidson, council clerk, said councillors may decide to pursue the status again in future, but for now they will look at other options to protect the town from development.

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Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset after the vote, which took place at a full council meeting on Tuesday, Ogilvie-Davidson said he believes the council's engagement with the community about the benefits of the new status caused the backlash.

"We need to bring our community with us with any decisions such as this and I think the council last night reflected that the information that was and wasn't out there about potentially World Heritage status, and the way the council had gone about it from the beginning was perhaps, in hindsight...wasn't the best thing initially," he said.

Resident Amanda Gazidis, who set up the petition, previously told the BBC that it would "change the whole face" of the town.

Gazidis said she feared World Heritage status would change Glastonbury from a "very organic, spiritual and diverse place" to become "commodified and homogenised".

Roughly an hour's drive from Glastonbury, Bath first achieved World Heritage status in 2021 and current mayor Bharat Pankhania said one benefit in his view, is it helps restrict "uncontrolled, relentless, disorganised development".

"I am sure that people will say you know what, there are more advantages compared to disadvantages in applying for World Heritage status," he said.

Ogilvie-Davidson said the council would now look at gaining Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or National Park status instead.

"The town council will then revisit the question of World Heritage status. So it hasn't been taken off the table," he added.

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