UP to 90 houses could end up being built on a green space which was once earmarked for a new primary school.
The land north of Packsaddle Way in Frome was purchased by Somerset County Council in 1973 with the intention of constructing a new school there to serve nearby housing.
The council announced in March that it wished to sell off the site, with housing association LiveWest entering into an option agreement to develop the land in the near future.
Now, a local councillor has suggested up to 90 new houses could be delivered on the site – though this has not been formally confirmed by LiveWest.
Adam Boyden is one of two Liberal Democrat councillors representing the Frome College ward on Mendip District Council, which includes Packsaddle Way. On his official website, Adam Boyden said he had received more than 40 emails from his constituents raising concerns about the site being developed.
He said, “This is a popular route for local residents to walk in a peaceful place, watch wildlife (particular the many birds in hedgerows and trees), walk their dogs off lead (particularly as the fencing of land to the north has restricted access tightly to the footpaths), and access the countryside beyond.”
Following these concerns, cllr Boyden met with LiveWest employees to discuss the site – and revealed how many houses could end up being delivered there if planning permission is secured.
He said, “I have spoken to a senior representative of LiveWest, to put across local residents’ views and to learn something of LiveWest’s initial general intentions.
“LiveWest will be shortly appointing a planning consultancy to prepare a planning strategy for a housing development here. They will commission various site surveys and studies this year, including a full season of ecology/wildlife surveys (starting this spring), and prepare a plan of the site’s constraints and opportunities. The initial idea is for a market housing-led scheme of 80 to 90 homes with two to four bedrooms.
“As LiveWest have Homes England funding to develop affordable housing by 2025/26, it is likely to propose 40 per cent affordable housing (mainly social rent – higher than the minimum 30 per cent required in Mendip’s Local Plan policy), with the remaining 60 per cent of houses being sold on the open market.
“LiveWest would be long-term custodians of the housing development. The county council is considering retaining part of the site to develop a residential social care facility somewhere on site.”
Homes England provides funding through central government to clear sites which are difficult to develop (such as the Saxonvale brownfield site in Frome), construct new transport links, or to provide a quantity of affordable housing within a site.
Adam Boyden – who stood for the Lib Dems in the Somerton and Frome seat at the last general election – said he would work with LiveWest to ensure as much green space within the site was retained.
He said, “Any plans would hope to retain as much of the vegetation (mature trees and hedgerows) and historic features as possible, and some footpath routes. Some trees would need to be removed to allow road access into the site from the south off Packsaddle Way, and some of the permissive path routes would be re-routed.
“In any development, I would be looking for the retention of an open space corridor through the site, the conservation of historic hedgerows and mature trees, for impacts on wildlife to be assessed and mitigated, and for the amenity of neighbouring residents to be respected.”
LiveWest has not officially corroborated Adam Boyden’s figures for the number of houses, but said it would work closely with the local community to deliver houses which met Frome’s needs.
A spokesperson said, “The first part of the process is for us to undertake surveys and investigations to consider the opportunities and constraints of developing the site.
“As part of fully understanding the findings of this exploratory work and before any planning proposals are submitted, we will engage and seek the views and opinions of the community.
“Any homes that are developed on this site will be part of our programme to deliver more than 7,000 homes across the south west in the next five years.”
Adam Boyden is standing in the local elections for the new unitary Somerset Council on May 5th, as one of two Lib Dem candidates in the Frome North division.
