A GREEN space at the northern edge of Frome could be turned into a housing development following the county council’s decision to sell the land.
The land north of Packsaddle Way provides a green buffer between the existing houses and the surrounding small villages, with several public rights of way snaking across it.
Somerset County Council has publicly announced its intention to sell the land, with the funds generated being reinvested to help deliver front-line services in the years ahead. Housing association, LiveWest, is set to enter into an option agreement to develop the site as part of its wider programme to deliver low-cost housing across Somerset.
The site, comprising around 8.3 acres (3.35 hectares), was originally purchased by the council in 1973 with the intention that a new school would be built there to serve nearby housing.
Victoria Goscomb, the county council’s governance and performance officer, said the site was no longer needed to provide a new school for this area of Frome, and therefore disposing of it provided the best value for taxpayers.
She said, “We are committed to the reduction of its property and land portfolio where practicable to reduce costs and to achieve capital receipts, where there is no alternative operational use identified.
“The asset is not required to support statutory operations (in this case, is no longer required as a school site). It is therefore considered that the most strategically advantageous use of this land is to dispose of it to generate a capital receipt, which can in turn be re-invested to deliver other county council priorities.”
A small section of the site will be retained by the council to “meet future potential strategic need for social care” – though the location of this section has not yet been confirmed.
The council has declined to publish how much it expects to generate from the sale, citing commercial sensitivity and the lack of planning permission currently in place for the site.
Victoria Goscomb said, “The exact price at which the site will be sold is currently uncertain. This is due to the developer not having yet gained planning permission for the site.
“If permission is granted, then there will be a formal valuation process carried out to determine market value, with both the council and the purchaser undertaking their own valuations of the site. Thereafter, a final sum will be negotiated between the parties to the agreement.
“We are currently in negotiation with a housing provider who is looking to enter into an option agreement with us that gives them rights to purchase the land if they are able to gain planning permission on it in return for a down payment.”
LiveWest has committed to delivering more than 600 low-cost homes in rural parts of Somerset by the end of 2024, and has already identified a number of sites in or near the Mendip district which it hopes to progress rapidly.
Speaking in July 2021, development director Gareth Jones said, “Housing associations have a key role to play in connecting local communities, coupled with providing homes that people love to live in.
“Over the past year we have delivered over 219 homes in rural locations in the south west and we are stepping up our delivery.
“We need to challenge the sector to increase the supply of affordable rural housing and contribute positively to ensuring a thriving countryside.”
