Residents gathered at Packsaddle Fields in protest ahead of the removal of public access across the site, with fencing expected to be installed this week.
Campaigners including residents, MP Anna Sabine and Somerset councillors gathered at the fields on Sunday 8th March to meet and form a human chain along part of the permissive path that will be closed.
They say the plan for Somerset Council to install fences follows legal pressure from housing association LiveWest after its plans to build homes on the site were refused. They accused the developer of ‘bullying’ tactics.
The site, on the northern edge of Frome, has been owned by Somerset Council since 1973. The public had been able to use a permissive path across the land, which was allowed at the council’s discretion rather than being a formal public right of way.
In March 2022 the council agreed to dispose of the land and later signed an Option Agreement with LiveWest in July that year.
An option agreement gives a developer the right to buy land within a set period if certain conditions are met, usually including securing planning permission.
LiveWest submitted plans in 2024 for 74 homes and a specialist home for children with disabilities. The proposals were refused by the council’s planning committee in January 2025 and a subsequent appeal was dismissed in September.
Under the option agreement, Somerset Council says it is required to meet its contractual obligations to the developer. This has included closing the permissive path running south to north across the field. The council says failure to comply could expose it to legal action for alleged breach of contract.
Campaign group People For Packsaddle, which has been campaigning to protect the green space for community use and wellbeing, has urged the council to reconsider the decision.
A spokesperson for the group, Toby Culff, said the move was “a very deliberate attempt to visit harm on a community which had the temerity to stand up to a developer.”
He said, “Over the last four years, this community has been wronged on many occasions and yet we have consistently played fair and been proven right. LiveWest’s planning application was refused at planning committee, then refused by the Planning Inspector. When LiveWest threatened to challenge the Inspector’s decision, the Secretary of State considered ‘the claim to be unarguable’ and said it would pursue LiveWest for costs if it proceeded. LiveWest then dropped its claim. Given this context, LiveWest’s behaviour here can only be viewed as corporate bullying.
“The council simply will not stand up to the developer on behalf of its constituents. This community, however, has stood up for itself before and we will continue to do so. Our community will not stand by, lie down and let the bullies win.”
Local resident and Somerset councillor for Frome North Adam Boyden has launched a petition calling on the council to halt the fencing.
He said, “There are lots of questions unanswered, like why do LiveWest think fencing off a site they do not own and have failed to get permission to build on twice will help their chances of gaining planning permission when they apply again? Please can everyone who cares about access to green spaces in Frome show your support.”
Anna Sabine MP, who attended the fields along with Somerset councillors Martin Dimery, Dawn Denton and Frome town councillor Mark Dorrington, has written to LiveWest urging the organisation to reconsider its approach.
She said, “Their previous planning application was refused twice because of the harm it would cause to residents’ enjoyment of the space. Resorting to the courts in an apparent effort to weaken the community’s use of the fields risks appearing like a bully-boy tactic rather than constructive engagement.
“Housing associations play a vital role in providing affordable homes, but they must work with communities, not against them.”
Somerset councillor Martin Dimery added he was “appalled” by the council’s decision to close the permissive path.
A statement from Somerset Council said, “We understand the local interest in this site and will continue to communicate openly as the process progresses but as we have outlined, we are required to fulfil the Council’s contractual obligations in relation to the Packsaddle site.
“The developer has issued formal notice of legal action for alleged breach of contract, which carries a significant financial risk to the Council and the public purse.
“The permissive path was a temporary, informal arrangement and could be withdrawn at any time. These changes do not affect the site’s status as an Asset of Community Value, which continues to give the community the right to bid should the land be offered for sale.”
A LiveWest spokesperson said: “LiveWest does not own the land at Packsaddle Fields. We continue to work closely with Somerset Council, as landowner, to explore the potential of the site for the development of much-needed affordable housing.”
