Frome’s Neighbourhood Plan

The Frome Neighbourhood Plan was prepared by Frome Town Council in consultation with residents and community organisations in the town.

The Focus of the Plan

The Plan has a particular focus on:

Encouraging small businesses to start and grow

Our aim is to ensure that the right premises, sites and other infrastructure is in place to support the start-up and growth of local businesses and employment. This will be achieved through policies that protect the existing valuable employment land in the town and enable additional employment land to come forward.

Enabling people to build their own homes, live more affordably in a more energy efficient way and play a more active part in the community 

One of the key objectives is to support the delivery of housing to meet the demand of a growing population. This will be achieved through policies that:

• provide or contribute to a mix of housing tenures, types and sizes to help support the creation of mixed, balanced and inclusive communities
• are quality design developments, providing energy efficient homes
• make provision for self-build and community-build housing

Making it easier for people to get around the town on foot and by bicycle 

Some of the key objectives are to give priority in the Town Centre to pedestrians and cyclists and to open up the River Corridor for cross-town cycle and pedestrian access.

Regenerating the town centre

So that it functions better as a place to live, work, meet, shop and visit – our aim is to develop an attractive centre that is pedestrian and cyclist friendly and encourages people to visit, shop, invest, live and work there.

Making the most of the River Frome corridor as an environmental and recreational asset 

Our aim is that the river corridor will be seen as the central open space in the town’s network of green infrastructure with a string of inter-connected open spaces for visitors and residents to enjoy.

Ensuring future development does not damage Frome’s unique character 

Consultation feedback confirms that the historic architecture and urban design of the town is considered by the local community to be an asset of considerable value that should be protected. This will be achieved through policies that will:-

• enhance the important arrival points within the town, including the railway station
• protect the important views across the town

Summary

Vision and Core Objectives

There are three overriding themes throughout the plan, Vitality, Participation and Sustainability all with the aim of achieving sustainable development. To provide clarity and policy guidance on future development, the Council is proposing to adopt an overarching sustainable development objective based on One Planet Living as defined by Bioregional and Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Self Build & Community Housing

The key objectives:

• Support the delivery of housing to meet the demand of a growing population
• Ensure new housing is available, appropriate and accessible to people of all ages and circumstances to maintain a balanced and diverse population
• Encourage good urban design that contributes positively to the fabric of the town and to prevent further proliferation of estate housing
• Permit community development to take place on suitable exception sites providing long term affordability is secured

Protection of Employment Land

The key objectives:

• Meet the Local Plan target of creating a further 2700 new jobs
• Provide a range of land, buildings and employment facilities for start-up and grow-on businesses
• Protect ‘Valuable Employment Sites’ from redevelopment other than for employment uses
• Promote Frome as a town that supports enterprise, innovation and ideas.
• Promote energy efficiency and renewable energy generation and encourage compliance with BREEAM excellent rating
• Reduce the environmental impact of travel to work by identifying options for getting to work other than by car

Town Centre Remodelling

The key objectives:

• Make the town centre a more pedestrian-friendly environment whilst allowing traffic to continue to flow through it
• Support independent retailing (including the successful street markets) to enable people to source local produce and to encourage visitors to the town
• Broaden the comparison retail offer of the town centre through sensitive new development that complements the existing offer
• Make the main visitor car parks more attractive in terms of tree planting, public realm and the ability for drivers to pay on departure
• Encourage greater evening activity including restaurants, clubs, and hotel accommodation
• Provide suitable facilities for new businesses to be incubated and grown in the town centre
• Encourage greater local job creation and support creative industries such as art, media, technology, design, food, etc.
• Support sustainable living with opportunities for homeworking, cycle storage, access to local shops, cafés, public services and public transport

River Corridor and Public Open Space Enhancement and Protection

The key objectives:

• Ensure the green infrastructure associated with the Frome River Corridor is maintained and enhanced, for benefit of people and wildlife
• Improve access in a way compatible with protecting the river environment, that will enable residents to walk or cycle in relative peace and safety through the town
• Protect natural landscapes and prevent development of public open space
• Provide informal recreation areas
• Provide additional sports and leisure facilities to meet local needs
• Promote use of parks, open spaces and allotments
• Manage public open space in a sustainable manner to protect and enhance wildlife habitats and biodiversity

Integrated Transport Strategy

The key objectives:

• Give priority in the town centre to pedestrians and cyclists
• Improve air quality in the town centre
• Open up the River Corridor for cross-town cycle and pedestrian access
• Improve the environment around Frome rail station and access to the town centre, as identified in the Frome Town Design Statement
• Provide better information for visitors
• Promote an effective transport hub with bus, train, coach, cycle, and taxi links
• Identify a safe area for coaches to drop off and collect passengers
• Complete the cycle network, providing links to Bradford-on-Avon, Bath and Bristol

Further information

For more information on any aspect of the Neighbourhood Plan, please contact:

Jane Llewellyn, Planning & Development Officer
Email jllewellyn@frometowncouncil.gov.uk or phone 01373 475578.