Plans for 140 homes on Frome’s southern edge

by Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Mumby with further reporting by Frome Times

More than 100 additional homes could be coming to Frome’s southern edge under new proposals put forward by a major developer.

The developer, David Wilson Homes, held a public consultation earlier this month at The Mount and is due to submit a planning application, incorporating residents’ feedback, by the end of February. Somerset Council is expected to make a decision on the plans by the autumn.

If approved, the application could see a further 140 houses developed across a five-acre site located between Francis Fields and Burchill Lane, which will sit on the edge of the proposed Selwood Garden Community, a planned development of 1,700 homes.

Somerset Council is due to discuss the Selwood Garden Community application on Tuesday 4th February, which councillors ‘minded to refuse’ at the end of last year due to concerns around the planning application.

‘Significant interest’

The southern edge of Frome has seen significant interest from housing developers in recent years – in part because the town lies outside the Somerset Levels and Moors catchment area, meaning developers do not need to pay large sums to secure additional phosphate mitigation.

Construction is currently under way at two other sites in the wider Keyford area, with Wain Homes delivering 70 homes within its Keyford on the Green site (immediately to the north of Francis Fields) and Curo constructing 198 homes and commercial space within the Keyford Meadows site off Sandys Hill Lane.

David Wilson Homes said that its latest proposals needed to be judged on their own merits, and were not designed to enable elements of the Selwood Garden Community to come forward in an underhanded fashion.

A spokesperson said, “We have no formal relationship with the Selwood Garden Community development; each development proposal must be assessed on its own merits.

“Our proposals for up to 140 new homes off Birchill Lane are the next phase of our development to the south of Frome, and are a natural continuation of that process.”

Of the 140 homes planned for the site, 42 properties will be affordable – meeting the council’s 30 per cent target for any new development of ten homes or more within the former Mendip area.

The spokesperson added, “The exact split of affordable homes would have to be agreed with Somerset Council, but it is our expectation that there will be a portion of social rent included within our development.

“Our proposed development will make a significant contribution towards local services and infrastructure, although the exact figure remains to be seen as there will need to be a Section 106 Agreement made with the council.”

The legal agreements for the Francis Fields development committed David Wilson Homes to providing more than £1.2m for new school places in Frome, along with nearly £312,000 for improvements to the Gorehedge junction (where the A362 meets the B3090) and more than £194,000 for improvements to the A36 between Frome and Bath.

If planning consent is secured, a reserved matters application (providing more details on the design and layout of the homes) will be put forward in the winter, with a view to construction starting by the middle of 2026.

Pictured: Artist’s impression of the development