Easthill Field Row

A DEBATE over the future of a Somerset green space broke down into a row after one councillor claimed he had not been allowed to speak. 

The Friends of Easthill Field presented a petition to Mendip District Council on Monday 23rd May, calling on councillors to permanently protect the Frome site from any future housing development. 

The full council debated the matter and ultimately resolved to enter into further discussions with the group over how the space could be safeguarded. 

But the Conservative opposition group abstained from the vote after one of its members claimed he had not been allowed to speak on the issue – and remonstrated with the chair for several minutes. 

The council originally intended to build up to 77 new low-cost houses on Easthill Field – located north of the A362 Warminster Road – as part of its social housing partnership with Aster Group. 

Following a local outcry, its cabinet voted in May 2021 to remove the Easthill site from the programme and promised not to develop the land for the duration of the current administration – which ends with the abolition of the council in April 2023. 

The Friends of Easthill Field have been campaigning for the land to be transferred to Frome Town Council and turned into a local nature reserve, ensuring it is protected from future development under the new unitary Somerset Council. 

A petition submitted to the district council, which attracted more than 2,100 signatures, called for the following actions to be taken: 

• The council should commission a full environmental impact assessment on Easthill. 

• The land should be transferred to the town council. 

• The site should be removed from housing development plans “in perpetuity”. 

Campaigner Bharati Pardhy told the full council when it met in Shepton Mallet, “Easthill is designated by Defra as a biodiversity action plan priority habitat. It provides unique opportunities for biodiversity.

“Every year, habitat losses of more than 20 million hectares occur worldwide – mostly in small patches like Easthill, and this happens without even knowing what is vanishing. 

“It has been estimated that Easthill holds more than 600 tonnes of carbon in its habitat and wildlife. 

“Nature is our home. Good economics demands we manage it better.” 

The motion received backing from numerous members of the ruling Liberal Democrat administration – including council leader Ros Wyke, who said she would “keep her word” in protecting the site from development. 

However, she pointed out that any change in designation of a public piece of land – such as the transfer of this site – would have to be approved by Somerset County Council ahead of the new unitary authority taking control. 

Cllr Janine Nash – whose Frome Berkley Down ward includes the site – added, “As we move into the new unitary, we’re keen to try and ensure its ongoing protection.”

Cllr Wyke put forward a motion to meet with the campaigners to discuss the future of the site and would “consider what further actions we can take at this time”.

But cllr Philip Ham – the Conservative member for Coleford and Holcombe – protested, claiming he had not been allowed to speak on the matter or make a separate proposal.

He said, “I’ve had my hand up for half an hour. I wanted to make a proposal, but everybody’s been asking the same questions and have been completely wasting time.”

Under the council’s constitution, public petitions can only be debated for a maximum of 15 minutes before a decision has to be taken.

Cllr Helen Sprawson-White – who was re-elected as chair of the council earlier in the meeting responded, “We’ve had advice that we’ve gone over the 15 minutes. I’ve got a proposal, and we have to take a vote.”

The council ultimately voted in favour of the motion by 21 to zero, with 14 abstentions.