Selwood Garden Community 1,700-home development approved

A development of 1,700 homes will be built on the edge of Frome after a government-appointed Planning Inspector approved the Selwood Garden Community application.

The plans, which include space for two care homes, 6.7 hectares of employment land, a mixed-use local centre, a primary school and open spaces, were referred for consideration by a government-appointed Planning Inspector after Somerset councillors were ‘minded to refuse’ the application.

Discussions around the application, on greenfield land on the edge of Frome near Marston Lane and the A361, have been ongoing for five years. Residents and local councillors shared their objections to the scheme, citing concerns around damage to the environment and wildlife and a lack of infrastructure in Frome.

In December 2024, Somerset councillors said they were ‘minded to refuse’ the application but later voted to take a neutral stance at the inquiry.

Frome Town Council also originally opposed the application but changed its position and withdrew its opposition.

Chair of Frome Town Council’s Planning Committee Cllr Steve Tanner said the town council will continue to work with the developers to ‘drive forward the best possible development for Frome.’

He said, “We have stayed at the table over the past five years, working closely with the developer and Somerset Council to push for the best possible outcome for Frome. That means proper infrastructure, improvements to the A361/A362 junction, investment in community buildings, employment opportunities and making sure active travel is built in from the start, not as an afterthought.

“Crucially, this scheme secures approximately 510 new affordable and socially rented homes for local people, which is something Frome desperately needs.

“While we recognise people’s concerns, we also believe this approach is much better than the inevitable piecemeal developments coming forward.”

Somerset Councillor for Frome Martin Dimery said the approval ‘makes a mockery’ of local democracy after the vote was taken away from the local community.

He said, “The Secretary of State’s department handed this decision to an Inspector with no connection to the local community. This decision was all too predictable and Frome people will live with the consequences of overcrowded roads and a strain on local resources for generations to come.”

The residents’ group, Stop Selwood Garden Community, which has been fighting to prevent the development for five years, said, “This is yet another sad example of what’s happening all around the country and it’s a huge shame that Frome has to bear the brunt of this legislative presumption in favour of development, especially when there is still no clear plan for how this huge grouping of individual building sites spread out over 15 years will actually be managed in the meantime.”