LOCAL groups have given a resounding thumbs down to a giant proposed new 1,700 home development on the outskirts of Frome.
Plans for the new community on the greenfield site to the south of the town below Keyford were heavily criticised at a packed out public meeting, organised by the Frome Town Council, to hear the community’s views on the Selwood Garden Community development.
The development proposes 1,700 new houses including 30% affordable homes (up to 510), a local centre and community hub, employment space, two residential care homes, a dentist surgery and a primary school.
At the start of the meeting held last month, chair of the town council’s planning committee, cllr Steve Tanner said, “The intention of this meeting is to listen and hear from the town.” He said the discussion will help councillors when they make their reply to the SGC proposal in the coming weeks. Councillors will be able to comment, but they do not have planning powers to make a decision. The planned development, on the edge of Frome, lies within the parish of Selwood, but Frome Town Council can submit its views on behalf of the town. Mendip District Council is expected to consider the application early next year.
Joe from Friends of Little Keyford (FOLK), said they are a local community group “concerned about the tarmacking over of one of the best loved and probably most under-appreciated parts of Frome”. He said, “We have more than 500 homes already in this area, of our relatively small town. We are not in favour. SGC is the wrong development in the wrong place. It will cause unmitigated environmental harm. Once these fields are gone, they are gone forever.”
Lynn from Stop SGC said the plans are designed around cars. “It can hardly be called a sustainable build in terms of transport,” she said. “Do we have jobs in Frome for all these people who are going to come and live here? Do we have enough schools, do we have capacity at the health centre and dentists? The ramifications of this development are going to be felt in Frome and some of the surrounding parishes. We need to think about how a development of this scale will affect the character and ethos of Frome.”
Chris Lewis, from CPRE Somerset described the area as “the green lungs of the town”. He said “It is not appropriate for large schemes of this sort to be tagged onto an existing town.” He believed that land will be parcelled out and sold to the highest bidders and said that it would be a better option to build a new garden town.
Ken McCall, a local campaigner, who works with CPRE, said there had been hundreds of objections to the planning application, with 474 against the plans and 5 letters of support. He said he was concerned about potential traffic caused by hundreds of houses already in the pipeline for Frome. He described the plans for 1,700 homes as “too big” which would “ruin the town.”
Maria from Frome Area Community Land Trust (CLT) said there is a social housing crisis in Frome. She said that the types of houses a high proportion of people are requesting are small homes, but often bigger homes are being built. “We need to build the right homes in the right place,” she said.
Pat, a member of Frome Civic Society, said they are an independent voluntary group with a focus on what is best for Frome. She said, “SGC is a high impact development which is outside any Local Plan.” With lots of homes being built in Frome and more on their way, she described Frome as having an unsustainable population growth.
She said the society had concerns about the future of the town saying, “Frome will become part of the Wiltshire ‘ring road’, not having a centre, but just a ring connecting all those huge housing developments in the neighbouring county. She said, “Frome Civic Society has tried to be as independent as possible, but the balance falls for refusal.” She described a balance of scales – affordable homes and employment space, against collateral damage, unsustainable local, car dependency, no governance and the project being high risk.
Andy Palmer, president, Frome Chamber of Commerce said the chamber has concerns about the impact of the development on the town. He said, “We do believe there is a place for a well-planned development with opportunities for the business community.” However, he said there is a problem of Frome becoming a dormitory town, with people heading to west Wiltshire, Bath and Bristol to work, using the bypass. “What will it add to the local business community?” he asked. “Not a lot in this current form.” He added, “This development does not feel right. A development of mixed use would be welcome but whether this is it, I am not so sure.”
Mayor cllr Sara Butler spoke on behalf of local ancient tree expert, Julian Hight, who was unable to attend the meeting. He says that the planned development is part of the historic landscape, a significant part of Frome’s rich history, rich in biodiversity. He describes ancient trees and the area being a haven for wildlife. The central part of the plan, he says, was once a medieval deer park and he feared for the damage which he said was already starting to happen, with the trees not being protected.
District and county councillor for Frome, Shane Collins said, “This application, along with Saxonvale, will determine the direction of Frome for the next few decades. This is a highly speculative bid with the application being outside the Local Plan. For this reason and this reason alone, it should be refused.” Considering the provision of affordable homes, he said “The carrot of 500 affordable homes in 18 years’ time is of so little relevance to today’s waiting list, it’s a high price to pay for the stick of vastly increased traffic, CO2 emissions and air pollution.”
He concluded, “I urge Frome councillors, turn down this proposal and send a clear message to Mendip Planning Board that the people of Frome do not support this application to vastly increase the size of Frome, with its limited infrastructure.”
The plans for the Selwood Garden Community development have been submitted by Land Value Alliances (LVA) and Grassroots Planning. Earlier, the meeting heard from Matthew Kendrick from Grassroots Planning who said that the garden community had been designed to limit car usage, and focus on active travel. He said that 50% of the site will be green spaces, with 20% of those areas being gardens and the site would be part of the wider Frome community. In answering criticism that people believed the community provision would not happen, he stressed that it will happen. He said the plans include a design principle framework that will be legally binding. He said the S106 agreement cannot be diluted, so the 30% affordable housing would stand.
Many residents also had the opportunity to have their say. In concluding the meeting, cllr Steve Tanner said that all the town councillors will consider their response to the plans at a future town council or extraordinary town council meeting.
