The Mendip planning department held this year’s award ceremony at East Pennard House in the annex building which won an award last year. Awards are given to recent building works which show particular merit in various categories.

  Ian Tucker as chairman of the Beckery Island Trust and myself, Nancy and Charles Hollinrake as board members were invited for the successful restoration of Abbot Bere’s mill at Northover — which is now a small cosmetics outlet specializing in natural ingredients. In the event, the trust was highly commended in the conservation section.

  As the evening progressed it was revealed how many Glastonbury building works had received awards or were runners-up in the different categories:

• • Bovetown House (formerly called The Hollies)
• • Coombe Brook off Lambrook Street
• • Forseys’ conversion of the Becks premises at Lowerside Lane
• • 50 Chilkwell Street (a derelict cottage)
• • the chapel in Silver Street

— just to name a few. And there were others, such as the Howdens unit at the Morland site.

  All this represents a huge investment and confidence in our town, especially in our old buildings. The good work continues with a new owner [Chris Black] restoring the “Bauhaus” factory building at the Morland site.

  Likewise, plans have been submitted for works at the Baily’s factory, which may take a long time to implement. Let’s hope the plans for Ruth Hillard’s old house, 21-23 Benedict Street, go through smoothly after a lot of consultation with planning officers.