PLANS to build a retail unit on the new Sandys Hill Lane development, has been met with strong objections from the town council, Frome Civic Society and local community.
The retail unit, at the rear of Wessex Fields, forms part of the development on agricultural land, north and south of Sandys Hill Lane, which includes up to 235 dwellings, employment units, a Drive Thru unit, food retail and non-food retail unit.
The planning application for a retail unit was made by applicant TJ Morris Ltd, which trades as Home Bargains, a home and garden chain. It includes 57 parking spaces, eight cycle spaces and associated landscaping.
Strong objections to the plans have been raised by Frome Town Council and Frome Civic Society. Local people have also objected, raising concerns around loss of green space, impact on ecology, flooding risks, and increased traffic and congestion at the Marston roundabout and Sainsbury’s/McDonald’s roundabout.
Commenting on Somerset Council’s planning portal, Frome Town Council said, “The access is not suitable or safe; HGVs will have to access the site through the car park where customers will be.
“The proposed landscaping is not sufficient; the building will be highly visible on the brow of the hill; this, combined with the dark colours of the building, is not acceptable. We are also very concerned about light pollution in this location, particularly for the car park lighting. We do not feel the noise impacts have been properly assessed, particularly in respect of cooling and extract fans, sufficient acoustic bunding needs to be in place.
“There needs to be a traffic management plan in place to deal with the traffic impacts at the Sainsbury’s roundabout, there is already a problem here causing traffic holdups. There is a missed opportunity to put solar panels on the roof to make this development more sustainable.”
Frome Civic Society say that the plans are for part of an ‘impractical’ narrow strip of land allocated to non-residential use. They say, “The developer is attempting to make the commercial units fit into that space through an unsatisfactory series of piecemeal applications.”
A local resident also commented about the impact the store could have on Frome’s high street saying, “Additional out-of-town retail provision is universally accepted as a cause of the decline of town centres.
“Frome has, to a large extent, retained high occupancy of town centre premises, but profitability for many retailers is on a knife edge and further competition could result in more closures. The sad state of neighbouring towns Trowbridge and Warminster, where whole arcades of shops are without occupants, should serve as a warning.”
Housing association Curo, which is developing houses nearby, has also objected to the application, saying the proposals would have an ‘unacceptable impact on the living environment’ of future house owners and tenants.
Proposals by other developers for commercial units on the Sandys Hill Lane site are due to come forward for planning scrutiny.
To view the planning application for the retail unit, visit Somerset Council’s planning portal using this reference 2024/0428/REM