By local democracy reporter Daniel Mumby; additional reporting by Frome Times senior reporter Ben Fenlon
WORK to clear the Saxonvale regeneration site in Frome town centre may not be completed until the spring of 2023.
The Acorn Property Group and Mendip District Council are working to clear the brownfield site near the River Frome to enable the delivery of 300 new homes along with employment units, arts and leisure facilities and a new footbridge over the river.
The council secured £3.935m of grant funding from Homes England for this purpose, which originally had to be spent before December 31, 2021 before being extended to March 31, 2022.
Officers have now confirmed that the grant funding deadline has been extended further, giving contractors until March 31, 2023 to complete all the necessary enabling works.
This comes as several Frome councillors have hinted that the rival Mayday Saxonvale proposals for the site could be debated in public shortly after the local elections. The Mayday plan is an alternative to the plan from Acorn Property Group which has already been given planning permission by Mendip District Council.
The Homes England funding is tied to a specific site, rather than a specific approved planning application – meaning the Mayday Saxonvale proposals could still theoretically be approved and implemented.
So far, the funding has been used to survey wildlife in the River Frome corridor, disconnect existing utilities within the site, treat Japanese knotweed, clear vegetation and remove contaminated materials – including asbestos, a ruptured septic tank and stockpiles from previous demolitions within the site.
A council spokesperson said, “We’ve been given an extension until the end of March 2023 to complete the work. So far, we have spent £3.5m of the Homes England grant.
“The Mayday Saxonvale application is still under consideration, but we don’t have a firm date as to at which planning board it will be discussed.”
Open mind
A number of Frome ward councillors, representing the ruling Liberal Democrat administration, have sought to reassure residents that they will be approaching the Mayday Saxonvale proposals with a fair and open mind when the board finally meets.
These include Councillor Janine Nash, chairwoman of the council, and councillor Damon Hooton, who chairs the planning board.
In a joint statement, the six councillors said, “It cannot have gone un-noticed that we are facing criticism and are coming under pressure to take a stance on the Mayday Saxonvale application.
“We were elected to represent your views. Please be assured that we are doing just that. We are listening.
Pre-election period
“We are very aware of the level of support that has been expressed both on the council’s planning portal and via our inboxes. We have all received a great many emails on the subject as individual councillors and also some of us as members of the planning board.
“Those of us that sit on the board and cannot overtly comment (at the risk of being perceived as predetermined) wish to preserve our legitimacy to hear the application, in order that Frome councillors can be part of the decision-making process.”
The councillors added that they did not feel comfortable expressing a view on the plans in the weeks preceding the local elections (known as purdah) – and hinting that the planning board may meet to discuss the Mayday Saxonvale proposals on May 11th, just under a week after the elections.
They continued, “In this pre-election period, and with a live planning application yet to be heard, we do not feel comfortable to express a view and to pre-empt.
“You can be forgiven for thinking that this is a convenient response. Please also consider that not feeling free to speak, as we find ourselves, is a difficult situation to be in, especially at this time.
“In response to the perception that we are pushing one proposal over another it is pertinent to remember that the council and Acorn have been working on plans to re-develop the Saxonvale site since 2017, and during this time it was the only available plan. It is only more recently that the Mayday alternative has come forward.
“Currently the application is on course to be heard by the planning board on May 11th, and the board will listen to the application with objectivity and an open mind as with any application.”
In response to the statement from the Frome ward councillors, representing the ruling Liberal Democrat administration, Mayday Saxonvale directors, Damon Moore and Paul Oster said, “We certainly agree that you are listening, and it was wonderful to meet with several of you at our Community Day on 26th March. Your engagement with us is greatly appreciated.
“We fully appreciate that you genuinely feel constrained from speaking freely about the Saxonvale situation. However, it appears there is a misunderstanding regarding predetermination. Whilst councillors cannot state how they will determine any application, including from Mayday Saxonvale, at Planning Board, they certainly can comment on it prior to the meeting and not be predetermined. This was one of the primary purposes of the Localism Act 2011 (further details below). As a councillor you can lawfully be predisposed to a position on a planning application, as long as you attend the Planning Board with an open mind.
Consider both plans
“We wouldn’t expect anything more than a fair hearing at the Planning Board. It will also then give Mendip District Council and the new Somerset Council the opportunity to fully consider both plans and decide which is best for their constituents.
“But the real risk that we all face in Frome right now is that Mendip District Council could give Acorn consent at any time (Acorn has planning permission, but the final agreement/ decision notice has not been signed for works on site to commence).
“This would remove any chance of a considered evaluation of the two plans, and would also result in legal proceedings. These legal proceedings would help no one, and result in further delays to Saxonvale being developed, which no one wants. We believe Saxonvale must be developed.
“We would therefore urge councillors to publicly request that Mendip District Council not give Acorn consent to start works before both plans are considered after our Planning Board determination. Tom Killen, leader of the Conservative group, made such a request, that both plans be fully considered in a transparent manner, at the full council meeting on 21st February.
“We look forward to working together to ensure Frome town centre gets the future it deserves.”
