by Local Democracy Reporter Daniel Mumby
Alternative funding to upgrade two key local roundabouts will need to be found if 1,700 new homes are not given the green light.
The Selwood Garden Community (SGC) is intended to deliver 1,700 homes, commercial space, a new primary school and other facilities in Frome, extending the existing edge of the town all the way to the A361.
The plans commit to numerous improvements to Frome’s road network – including upgrades to the Beckington and White Row roundabouts, which handle significant volumes of traffic between Frome and Bath via the A36.
Somerset Council’s planning committee east voted in December 2024 that it was “minded to refuse” the plans, with this decision expected to be ratified by the same committee in early-February.
National Highways (which manages the A36 as part of the UK’s strategic road network) has confirmed that neither roundabout can be upgraded without these homes going ahead – meaning the council will have to find funding from other sources.
The Mendip Local Plan Part II, which was ratified by councillors in December 2021, commits to delivering improvements to these two roundabouts in order to mitigate the additional housing sites identified within the plan.
The plan only includes a small part of the land that would form the SGC, but includes the Keyford Meadows site on Sandys Hill Lane (being constructed by Curo) and the three developments currently under construction either side of the B3092 The Mount (being delivered by David Wilson Homes and Wain Homes.
The plan acknowledges that upgrades to offset these homes (and any others delivered in the Frome area) will be needed at the Beckington and White Row roundabout, since housing growth will have “a significant impact on traffic flows” in this part of Somerset and into neighbouring Wiltshire.
A spokesperson said, “A scheme for the A36 Beckington roundabout and the A36 White Row roundabout is required to ensure that the proposed developments in Frome enable effective highway circulation and ensure that the functionality of the highway network is not compromised.”
The combined improvements to both roundabouts is currently estimated to cost £4.23million – with the design work for these improvements being funded by other developments in Frome.
National Highways (formerly Highways England) said that funding for these improvements had already started being collected – and that there would not be sufficient funding to implement them if the SGC proposals were not approved.
A spokesperson said, “The adopted Mendip Local Plan Part II requires improvements to be delivered at both the A36 Beckington and White Row roundabouts to accommodate development allocated within the Local Plan.
“As the Selwood development is not allocated within the Local Plan, it was required to identify and deliver improvements that would accommodate its own impact on the A36 in addition to the impact of Local Plan growth.
“Selwood has designed and agreed schemes at both roundabouts which have been agreed by National Highways and Somerset Council.
“The schemes are to be funded by Selwood and certain developments allocated within the Local Plan, and Somerset have been collecting contributions from applicable developments.”
James Tizzard, acquisitions, project management and sales lead at Land Value Alliances (which is representing the SGC landowners) said that the development had been carefully planned to ensure that these road improvements could be delivered without running into viability issues.
Speaking in late-November 2024, he said: “In this scheme, we have more than £29m allocated within the Section 106 agreement, including funding for off-site highway improvements.
“We’ve looked at the phasing plans and how this can come forward, and we then costed each element of that, because it’s got to work.
“There’s a housing crisis, and we need to be able to deliver those affordable homes – so there’s no point in coming forward with the scheme, then questioning whether it’s viable and reducing affordable housing numbers down.
“We have costed every element of this, even down to retaining walls, foundations and costs within that, to make sure that the early phases still work.”
The planning committee east will make its final ruling on the SGC plans when it meets in Shepton Mallet on 4th February at 2pm.
Pictured: Revised Masterplan for the Selwood Garden Community
