NEARLY 200 new homes will be built near Frome’s McDonald’s after Mendip District councillors voted to approve amended plans.
Silverwood (Ditcheat) Ltd. successfully obtained outline planning permission in July 2020 to build 235 homes and commercial units either side of Sandys Hill Lane in Frome.
Curo Enterprise Ltd. put forward amended plans for the housing element of the site in August 2021, reducing the number of properties to 198.
Mendip District Council’s planning board gave its backing to these amended proposals when it met in Shepton Mallet on Wednesday 16th February.
The properties will be divided either side of Sandys Hill Lane, and will range from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom houses to reflect local demand.
The homes will be built to the east of the commercial element of the site, which will be constructed near the existing McDonald’s restaurant and Sainsbury’s supermarket, and which will be handled by a separate application.
A new access road will be created to serve both housing areas, with the existing Sandys Hill Lane being restricted to pedestrians and emergency vehicles (though the existing homes on Little Keyford Lane will also be able to use it for access).
Thom Brill, who lives on Little Keyford Lane, questioned whether these new access arrangements would be sufficient.
He said, “We have not been provided with anywhere for emergency vehicles, refuse or delivery vehicles to turn – which they currently do with the Keyford Farmhouse track.
“The developers have failed to apprehend the gravity of flooding around the present site. These areas regularly suffer extensive flooding due to the streams and drainage channels under this area.”
Peter Roberts, Curo’s senior planning manager, responded that the plans had been “shaped by significant engagement with locals”, including the retention of the farmhouse and neighbouring barns.
He added, “We are taking sustainability seriously, and proposing homes which are built to a high standard.
“We are willing to undertake provision for a turning head, which will be better than the current situation.”
The site is one of several allocated for future development within the council’s Local Plan Part II, which was formally ratified in December 2021.
