Allotment boost for Frome?

FROME Town Council will consult members of the public over a potential site that could be used as allotments. If the consultation is successful, then an open space behind the Methodist Church on Portway could be utilised. For the 100-plus families on the allotment waiting list, the news could be a reprieve after a bid to use land at Weylands for allotments recently fell through.Frome Town Council agreed to go ahead with a consultation at a meeting on Wednesday 28th of March. The proposed site belongs to the Methodist Church and covers an area measuring around 500 metres.A report compiled by Frome Town Council’s deputy chief executive Paul Wynne said that the site will need work before it is suitable for allotment use. He said, “The site is very overgrown and will need the new allotment users to clear it before anything can be planted. As a result, it has been proposed to the church that the town council lease the site on a peppercorn rent for at least 10 years.”Frome Town Council had investigated the use of land at the Weylands site for allotments. The proposal was supported by local people promoting the need for more allotments in the town, but was also criticised by some local residents. Mendip District Council refused to lift a covenant on the site, which prevented its use for allotments. As a result, alternative sites have been sought.