Frome Town Council has announced that it is formally altering its position on the Selwood Garden Community (SGC) development and will no longer oppose the project. This follows a decision at a meeting of Somerset Council’s Planning Board East on 28th March, that Somerset council similarly adopt a strictly neutral position in respect of the proposed development at the public inquiry. Somerset Council will offer no evidence against the principle of development and only contest what conditions and/or financial contributions are appropriate.
Both Frome Town Council and Somerset Council had previously indicated opposition to SGC, with a further meeting planned for 4th February 2025 to debate the matter. However, the day before the meeting, on 3rd February 2025, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner ‘called in’ the SGC application, meaning that the final decision on the application will now be taken at central government level. This unusual move reduces Somerset Council’s role from the decision maker to a consultee in the process, with approval of the scheme by central government a likely outcome.
Cllr Steve Tanner, Chair of Frome Town Council’s planning committee, said:
“FTC’s stance from the outset has been that we would prefer to see a comprehensive, master planned development rather than ad hoc piecemeal developments, which are disconnected and provide no meaningful benefit to the town.
“We had objected to the application, because while SGC provided this, we had some ‘red lines’ we felt had to be addressed, should the application be approved. Since the application was last discussed, we have had the opportunity to conduct detailed discussions about those red lines with the applicants, Selwood Parish Council and Frome Somerset councillors.
“The additions that have moved us towards removing our objection are linked to progress made in discussions of Section 106 funding and how it will be used to bring about the best results for Frome from the project. These include highway improvements, healthcare, sporting and leisure facilities, transport and active travel provision and affordable housing.
“We know this will be hard for some residents to hear. But as an independent council we always think about what is best for all of Frome. We must be pragmatic: we have declared a housing crisis and we know there is a desperate need for affordable housing. Lack of suitable housing was the number one concern in our recent town-wide engagement study.
“Of course, we always lament the loss of green spaces and are conscious that this is a deviation from the local plan. However, we cannot ignore the constant message coming from the Government with regards to house building and indeed the new increased targets. This all leads us to believe the application is likely to be approved by the Secretary of State.
“We feel that if we all work together and really hold future developers to these outline plans, we can achieve an exemplary development that will go some way to meeting Frome’s housing needs in a sustainable and managed way. It is worth noting the plans have some welcome sustainability elements such as solar panels and no gas boilers, we intend to ensure these are retained also.
Therefore we agree with the officer’s assessment to which the proposed development is consistent with government policies and support the recommendation.”
Section 106 funding is a legally-binding agreement applied to housing developments in the UK under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. It requires developers to contribute to community infrastructure when building new developments as a condition of receiving planning permission.
Find out more about Frome Town Council’s Planning Committee and dates for future meetings at bit.ly/ftc-planning.
