Appeal over 150 homes at Marston Lane, By local democracy reporter Daniel Mumby – additional reporting by Frome Times

A DEVELOPER who wants to build 150 homes on the edge of Frome has lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate following the application being turned down by Somerset County Council in June. 

Gleeson Strategic Land Ltd. put forward initial proposals (known as a screening option) in December 2021 to build up to 180 homes on the western side of Marston Lane in Frome, located off the busy B3090 Marston Road. 

The Fleet-based developer subsequently submitted an application to Mendip District Council, slightly reducing the total number of homes to 150 and including a community hub at the southern edge. The council refused these plans in June, claiming the site cannot be accessed safely and would have a “significant adverse impact” on existing residents. 

But the developer has now lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate, with a public inquiry due to be held in early-January 2023. The site is not included in either the council’s original Local Plan (which was adopted in December 2014) or the additional allocations within the Local Plan Part II (which was ratified by councillors in December 2021). 

The site does lie within the parish of Frome, a short distance from the town’s Sainsbury’s supermarket, but it lies outside the defined development boundary of the town, as set by the council’s Local Plan. 

The proposals included 45 affordable homes (meeting the council’s target for 30 per cent affordable housing in any new development of 10 homes or more) and the creation of four new access roads onto Marston Lane – including one directly opposite the existing junction with Mason’s Way and one near the existing junction with the B3090. 

Julie Reader-Sullivan, the council’s head of service for planning and growth, identified six reasons for refusing the plans: 

• The site is located in “open countryside” and is therefore “considered unsuitable for further housing growth within the town”  

• The prominent nature of the site would lead to a “a significant adverse impact” on the local landscape and the existing views of Frome 

• The developer has provided “insufficient information” about how local heritage and archaeological assets would be protected 

• The developer has not indicated how it would contribute towards new school places or improvements to the Beckington and White Row roundabouts on the busy A36 

• The development cannot be safely accessed, with the plans “resulting in highway safety concerns for existing and proposed users” 

• The developer has not demonstrated how the risk of flooding would be mitigated, both for the site and the wider area. 

Gleeson has formally lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate and has requested that this appeal be handled at a public inquiry, rather than through written representations. 

Jonathan Orton, director of Origin3 (representing the applicant) stated, “We consider that a public inquiry is the most appropriate manner in which to test the issues around the appeal. 

“The council’s reasons for refusal are numerous and require significant technical evidence… which will require testing through formal questioning by an advocate on both sides. 

“[There is a] need to consider the council’s up-to-date housing land supply position, with reference to an up-to-date housing needs assessment and the deliverability [sic] of sites making up its five-year land supply. 

“The proposed development has generated substantial local interest at the application stage. This is demonstrated by the significant numbers of public objectors to the scheme.” 

The southern edge of Frome has seen a number of significant housing developments approved in the last 12 months, including a number of site identified within the Local Plan Part II. 

The council’s planning board voted in February to approve two large new developments – 249 homes across two sites either side of the B3092 The Mount, and 198 homes on the Keyford Meadows site on Sandys Hill Lane. 

The board voted to approve plans for a further 70 homes on The Mount in July, having previously refused proposals from Wainhomes twice. 

Revised plans have also been put forward to create the Selwood Garden Community of more than 1,700 homes near the A361, along with employment units, a new school and various other amenities. 

The public inquiry into the Marston Lane proposals will begin on January 10th, 2023 and is expected to last up to four days. The inspector’s decision will be made public by the early-spring.