Mayday Saxonvale secures vital funds for community-led development

The team at Mayday Saxonvale has secured £1.2 million in funding to support its bid to develop the brownfield Saxonvale site in the heart of Frome town centre. 

The funding comes from the Resonance Community Developers Fund and is backed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). It will work alongside a community share offer, inviting residents to become co-owners of Saxonvale with a minimum investment of £250. The community share scheme is set to launch in late January. 

Nearly nine months after agreeing to sell the site to Mayday Saxonvale, Somerset Council decided to put the site on the open market after the group struggled to secure financing. The new funding, via the newly incorporated Mayday Saxonvale Community Benefit Society (CBS), will help the group submit a revised bid when the site comes on the open market in early 2026. 

Chair of Mayday Saxonvale, Brigid Clarke, described the Community Share Offer as a defining moment for the town. She said, “Saxonvale is Frome’s last major town-centre site; it will shape its future for generations. We have worked tirelessly to save this site for our community and together we have already overcome many setbacks. 

“Our previous funding arrangement didn’t allow for community shares at this stage. Now the £1.2 million secured via Resonance, backed by MHCLG, will support investment from community shares to enable our bid for the site – so this is where we need Frome’s help. 

“This is an extremely exciting opportunity. We are inviting our community to become co-owners of Saxonvale with us. Unless we act now, Saxonvale could be bought by a private, profit-led developer, which is exactly what we have been fighting to avoid. We have one chance to buy this land and protect this place we all call home. Together, we can keep Frome’s future in our hands. This is real, people-powered development and a once-in-a-generation chance to shape the town’s future.” 

Each member of the CBS will receive one vote, regardless of investment size, ensuring decision-making and long-term stewardship remain rooted locally. 

Jon Rolls, Head of Developing Communities at Resonance, said, “Resonance supports communities to own and develop assets in their local neighbourhoods because we believe this helps communities to be more sustainable and resilient. We want to see affordable housing and community facilities that are owned by local people forever. We hope the community gets behind this once-in-a-lifetime chance to steer the regeneration of Frome.” 

The Mayday Saxonvale proposal includes 263 homes, of which at least 30 per cent will be affordable, with a stretch target of 50 per cent. Plans also feature 10,000 sq m of commercial and community space, including an enterprise centre, community kitchen and cultural centre, a riverside park and play area, a hotel and spa, and a lido. 

Pictured: Frome community gather in Saxonvale by GARFIELD AUSTIN