Building Homes that Frome Needs

IS Frome getting the types of new home built that local people really need? And if not, what can we do about it?

These are the questions behind a public meeting, ‘Creating More Homes’, being held at Frome Town Hall on Monday 23rd October. The meeting is being organised by Fair Housing for Frome, a local community organisation set up to address the housing crisis it believes the town is facing.

“We have heard so many stories from local people who would like to get on the housing ladder but just can’t afford it, especially in Frome,” said Pepita Collins, one of the event’s organisers. “New schemes are supposed to provide affordable housing, including for rent, but lots of developers seem to get around it. In any case, what the government defines as affordable and what many prospective home-owners or renters can afford are two different things.”

The meeting will hear from Frome Town Council about the house-building that is already under way in Frome and what is planned for the future. There will also be talks from people who play an important role in developing new schemes.

“We hear almost every day in the news about problems with the housing market,” said Mark Brierley from NVB Architects in Rook Lane, who will be addressing the meeting. “But there are some great stories from around the country of imaginative schemes that really do address local needs. I for one want to learn from them and see how we can apply the lessons to Frome.”

One of the issues the organisers want to look at is the role that councils and housing associations can have in developing homes for social rent.

“We believe it is possible to provide a high proportion of genuinely affordable homes in new developments, and we are already working on that in Frome,” said Paul Walsh, development director of Selwood Housing, another of the evening’s speakers. “The government’s recent announcement that it will give a boost to social housing is great news and potentially very exciting.”

This meeting is one in a series of public meetings that Fair Housing for Frome has run. Previous meetings have covered self-build and co-housing, intergenerational living, tackling homelessness, and private renting and landlords. Meetings include an opportunity for people to discuss the issues and to question and debate with experts and practitioners.

‘Creating More Homes’ will take place on Monday 23rd October at Frome Town Hall from 6.00pm to 8.00pm. Everyone is welcome and entry is free.