LOCAL residents opposed to the development of fields north of Packsaddle Way have expressed anger and disbelief after the developer announced its intention to proceed with plans to bring 74 new houses to the green space. A public consultation about the outline plans was opened last week and ends on Monday 3rd April.
Somerset County Council announced last year that they are selling off the site and entering into an agreement with housing association, Live West. Just last month, members of People for Packsaddle (PfP), a community action group formed to oppose building on the fields, were celebrating after the land was given Asset of Community Value status. Mendip District Council also added the fields to their register of green spaces in Frome.
PfP hope that both of these may be considered as material considerations when the plans are considered by Mendip District Council, which is expected to be later this year.
The plans which, along with 74 houses includes a children’s residential facility for Somerset County Council, can be commented on by visiting www.live westpacksaddle.co.uk
Toby Culff, spokesperson for the community group PfP said, “When they entered into their agreement last year, perhaps LiveWest and Somerset County Council did not fully appreciate the value of Packsaddle Fields to this community. Well, there’s no excuse now.
“Packsaddle Fields are an Asset of Community Value and a registered green space, and their importance to the community has been definitively proven and officially recognised. The decision to persist with these plans shows a contemptible disregard for the community. With every day that passes, it looks more and more like a shady money-grab, and it must be challenged. We urge residents to stand together in resistance, and councillors to be brave and stand with them. We urge LiveWest and Somerset County Council to reconsider: it’s not too late to change course.”
Campaigners say that the land has been accessed freely by the people of Frome for 50 years, and that it is vitally important both to the local residents as a space for enriching their health and wellbeing – as well as providing a habitat for a wide range of wildlife and plants.
They say that the rarely granted Asset of Community Value was supported by compelling testimonies from over 100 Frome residents and backing from councillors Adam Boyden, Dawn Denton, Drew Gardner and Helen Sprawson-White, and by Frome Town Council and its mayor Sara Butler. The campaign to protect the fields has the endorsement of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England.
Another member of the group, Janet Hague, said “The developers and Somerset County Council know full well that Packsaddle Fields have these special designations, yet they seem determined to build over them. We are also sceptical about the inclusion of the residential care facility in the plans, given the repeated failure of developers to deliver on such proposals, and the lack of prior notice, detail and any transparent needs assessment.”
The public consultation will end on Monday 3rd April. You can stay up to date with PfP by following their page on Facebook or by visiting their website at: www.peopleforpacksaddle.org
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