FROME Town Council has warned that Frome is at risk of “piecemeal” housing developments, despite meeting its minimum housing target.
Figures from Mendip District Council say that Frome’s overall “planned growth” for the 2006 to 2029 period is 2,882 homes – which according to the town council meets Frome’s “minimum” housing need up until 2029.
But new housing targets from central government and the district council’s inability to demonstrate that there is a sufficient number of ‘deliverable sites’ in the district to provide five years’ worth of housing – known as a ‘five-year land supply’ – has left Frome vulnerable to additional housing.
The council has warned that “piecemeal development” results in “little thought” for improving the town’s infrastructure, including new roads and “ecological improvements”.
“The town’s infrastructure problems need to be resolved before adding to it,” said cllr Scott Ward at a meeting last month to discuss the council’s pre-application response to the 1,700 home ‘Selwood Garden Community’.
Responding to concerns from a local resident at the meeting who asked if there would ever be a “maximum size” and a limit to the number of houses for Frome, mayor cllr Anita Collier, said, “I would be loathed to see the atmosphere of a medium-sized market town like Frome, become so big that we start to become anonymous.”
In a report to councillors, the town council’s planning and development manager, Jane Llewellyn said, “The overall figure of planned growth of 2,882 includes the additional number of houses required for Frome up to 2029 using the government’s new standard method of calculations for housing need.
“So whilst it is correct to say that there is no evidence based on the Local Plan figures that Frome needs any more housing, we need to be aware that this does not mean that Frome will be in a position to defend against any further housing due to Mendip District Council not being able to demonstrate a 5 year land supply.
“As a result of the new calculation method, in addition to the number of housing allocated to all the towns and villages in Mendip, Mendip are now working to a government ‘imposed’ figure of 600 houses a year. They also stated that this will be an important consideration in determining a planning application.
“This means that over the next 10 years, Mendip will need to find land for approximately 1,680 homes across the district that it has not planned for and 3,360 over the next 20 years.
“As a result, Mendip Council will find it difficult to resist applications for piecemeal development across the district. This could be a particular problem for Frame, where there is good access to jobs, services, and public transport links.
“The danger of piecemeal development that we are already experiencing, occurring on a ‘field by field’ basis, is that little thought will be given to wider infrastructure, such as new roads and ecological improvements, which puts pressure on existing roads and biodiversity and offers little in the way of community benefits, including employment opportunities.”
