Radstock Co-operative Society has submitted a planning application to demolish the former Fromefield Surgery building, at the junction of Bath Road and Rodden Road, and to build a new convenience supermarket on the site.

See the article in the Frome Standard here – http://www.fromestandard.co.uk/operative-store-planned-doctors-surgery-site/story-19593332-detail/story.html

As one of the ward councillors for the Fromefield area on Mendip District Council, I was grateful to receive a call from the applicants’ agent about this recently, and have a copy of the submitted plans.

I will be looking into the plans closely, including the impacts on neighbouring residents, traffic, the demolition of the existing cottage, and the design and appearance of a new store in the Fromefield Conservation Area and next to listed buildings, as well as the benefits of having a new local convenience store that people in the area can walk to.  The applicants propose that the store would operate 7.00am – 10.00pm, and service deliveries are proposed from 7am to 7pm.

The planning application is actually not yet validated by Mendip’s planning case officer (although the application for Conservation Area Consent has been – ref. 2013/1580), as a number of reports have been requested by the planning officer to meet the council’s requirements, so the application is not yet online and not yet ‘live’ for comment.  The Conservation Area Consent application should be determined  together with the planning application.  Mendip would normally have 8 weeks to make a decision when it is. The applications could be decided by the case officer or by councillors on Mendip’s Planning Board (if there is sufficient local interest, ward councillors (including myself) refer it, and the referral is accepted by the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Planning Board).

If anyone wants to contact me or see a copy of the plans I have, please email me on cllr.boyden@mendip.gov.uk or call/text 07809 284817.
Thanks,
cllr Adam Boyden, Frome College ward (Lib Dem)