FROME Town Council last week decided to put an end to dithering over Saxonvale and push ahead with plans of its own; one councillor called the ruined industrial estate ‘dangerous’ and ‘unsightly’.
The Saxonvale area in the town centre has been derelict for decades and a source of controversy for numerous councils.
Councillor Mel Usher, who will lead the project with cllr Colin Cobb, said Saxonvale was ‘dangerous’ and ‘unsightly’ and a serious cause for concern.
He said that, on a recent visit to an unsecured part of the site owned by former metalworker Notts Industries, he had found a ten-foot deep uncovered manhole and uncontained asbestos. Now, councillors have said Mendip must force the other landowners to make their land tidy and safe – something the town has no power to enforce – and that Frome will press ahead with plans to develop its own part of the land.
Various planning applications and regeneration schemes have been batted around for years, but none have yet satisfied both developers and authorities.
The council decided unanimously that it would look to develop the part of the site it owns – roughly 1.4 acres – into a joint venture combination of housing and business use.
The council is currently paying almost £30,000 per year to settle a ten-year loan it took out in 2013 to buy the land. Members resolved to move ahead with a joint venture scheme; it was agreed that, because housing developer Terramond has permission to build houses on its own land, the council couldn’t afford to keep waiting for a perfect scheme for the whole area.
Cllr Jean Boulton said, “I’m concerned about Frome becoming a dormitory town. There are small businesses in the town that want to grow and it’s up to us to support them.
“If they can’t find bigger premises here they will move out of Frome. We expect Terramond to focus on building housing, so we should focus on helping businesses.”
Cllr Pippa Goldfinger said pursuing the scheme was a ‘no-brainer’ and added it could be safer if residential and businesses were combined so there were people around 24/7.
The council conceded that the move could open up other parts of the site to housing developers, but economic and development regeneration manager, Peter Wheelhouse, said he believed moving forward with the joint venture was the best option to meet the needs of the community.
