Frome Town Council (FTC) and Vision 4 Frome (V4F) will soon be consulting local people, schools and other organisations on how to spend over £38,000 on improvements at the old Showfield. This money has been allocated as part of the ‘Section 106’ agreement that was negotiated and agreed between the developers of the new Frome Health Centre (Pentagon / Frome Medical Practice) and Mendip District Council (MDC), who also lease most of the showfield from the Frome & District Agricultural Society. The new Frome Health Centre is under construction and on course to be completed and opened by the start of 2013, when it will replace the existing surgeries at Park Road, Fromefield and Berkley Rd/Clink (Saffron).

The last time Section 106 money was available (over £100,000, from the new Community Hospital development), a Steering Group with councillors and officers of Mendip and Frome Town Councils, local residents and the organisations involved in the Showfield site, undertook thorough public consultations and prepared plans and reports, and the East Mendip Community Partnership (EMCP) of Mendip District Council agreed how to spend the money, and I understand that seemed to have worked well. So this time I will be pushing for some form of democratic oversight once more (led by either Mendip or FTC) and the involvement of local residents as well as stakeholder organisations, in both the public consultation process and the final decision (by Mendip) on how the money is spent.

I have already heard from several residents on their ideas for improving the Showfield, so please contact me if you have ideas or concerns and I will pass them on to the consultation team. Ideas raised so far include:
– improving the paths around the Showfield for easier access by wheelchair and mobility scooters;
– installing a fence around the children’s playground to deter dogs, as currently there is nothing to stop dogs fouling the playground and worrying children as they play;
– wardening the area to deter fouling by dogs.

One issue I hope both councils can move forward on is the lack of a local-based forum and decision making body at Mendip where this sort of issue and agree since the suspension of Mendip’s EMCP in May 2011, and the lack of any replacement since. The idea of a ‘Frome Forum’ has been discussed between Mendip and FTC but nothing yet agreed. FTC also circulated the idea of a Frome Assembly for all the councillors in the area at county, district and town level, but again that has not been progressed. Although FTC remain positive about community engagement in working parties and at council meetings, I feel there remains a democratic deficit where Mendip’s work (and to a lesser extent, Somerset County Council’s) in Frome is concerned, as some issues are falling between the gaps of each council’s remit. I hope to encourage both councils to address this soon.

UPDATE – at a recent meeting I attended between FTC and MDC, senior officers and councillors agreed to work together on a proposal for a trial Frome Forum, so I hope to see this happening soon…

Meanwhile, I have heard that the application by FROGS in May 2011 to Somerset County Council to designate the remaining open space at the old Showfield as a Village Green, which would prevent further development of buildings there in future, will be going to a public inquiry. However, as it is 7th in a list of 9 Village Green applications that Somerset County Council are dealing with, the inquiry is not likely to be heard in the next 18 months or even longer.

This week’s Somerset Standard front page article is linked here – http://www.fromepeople.co.uk/views-42k-revamp-Frome-Cheese-field/story-16524729-detail/story.html – and repeated below:

Give views on £42k revamp of former Frome Cheese show field

Frome families and sports groups are to be asked how they would like to spend a £42,000 pot of cash on one of the last green open spaces in the heart of the town.

The former Frome Cheese show field, considered to be a vital green lung in an ever expanding town centre, is to be at the centre of a public consultation on its future this autumn.

Frome Town Council and Vision 4 Frome are collaborating to organise a widespread discussion involving families who live near the show field, Frome Medical Practice, Frome Collegians and Frome Cricket Club.

The developers of Frome Health Centre and Mendip District Council have agreed a £35,000 pot of cash, the result of a Section 106 agreement for community funding as part the building work, and Frome Medical Practice has pledged a further £7,000 towards improving the show field.

A Section 106 agreement, or planning obligation, is a legal agreement between the planning authority and the applicant or developer and others that may have an interest in the land.

An obligation either requires the developer to carry out projects for the community, or restricts what can be done with land following the granting of planning permission.

Vision 4 Frome will be employing a consultation expert to be advise on the best way forward to gauge local opinion, which could be a series of public meetings.

The show field is already home to the town’s new community hospital, a new multi-million pound health centre which is under construction, Frome Cricket Club and Frome Collegians.

A year ago Frome Recreational and Open Ground Supporters (Frogs) applied to Somerset County Council to protect what was left of the open green spaces and to give the remainder of the show field village green status.

The county council recently announced that the application for village green status will now go to a public enquiry, although no date for a hearing has yet been fixed.

According to Mendip councillor Adam Boyden, who represents College ward, there is likely to be a backlog of applications and a public enquiry into the show field is not imminent.

Mr Boyden said: “I would like to see the issue resolved but a public enquiry is not likely to take place for the next 18 months because of an inevitable backlog.

“Meanwhile, I would welcome a widespread consultation to discuss how the Section 106 money could be spent in the best way possible.”

Options include open-air fitness equipment, more children’s play equipment to complement what was installed by Mendip four years ago, or an avenue of trees to improve the general landscape of the show field.

Frome Town Council’s Interim Town Clerk Paul Wynne said: “We will be asking near neighbours such as Selwood Academy whose land borders the show field and the dog walkers who are regulars users of the show field for their opinions. In fact, we want to incorporate as many views as we possibly can.”

This week’s Frome Times article is linked here – http://www.frometimes.co.uk/?p=2200 and is repeated below:

Residents asked how to spend £42,000 Showfield cash

FROME residents and sports groups are to be asked how they would like to spend £42,000 on improving the former Frome Showfield site.

Frome Town Council and Vision 4 Frome are putting together a widespread consultation to ask families living near the former Showfield site, along with Frome Medical Practice, Frome Collegians, Frome Cricket Club and the general public for their ideas.

Vision 4 Frome will employ a consultation expert to advise how best to gauge public opinion. The funds have been made available thanks to the developers of the new Frome Health Centre who agreed to put up £35,000 as a result of a section 106 agreement. Frome Medical Practice have also put up a further £7,000 towards improving the Showfield.

Suggestions to improve the former Showfield include more trees, better fencing, improvement of the landscaping, more children’s play and fitness equipment. The section 106 agreement states that developers have to put up funds to improve the local community.

An application to protect the Frome Showfield as green space is currently in the hands of Somerset County Council. The application means that the field could be granted village green status, protecting the land from developers. Mendip District councillor, Adam Boyden, says that this application could take up to two years. He said, “It’s in a waiting list now. It will take around 18 months to two years for the council to take a look at it, and then it has to go to public enquiry. It’s a long process.”

Councillor Adam Boyden

Have your say on revamp of Frome old Showfield – updated

Give views on £42k revamp of former Frome Cheese show field

Residents asked how to spend £42,000 Showfield cash

Leave a Reply