Showfield update 5th June

by adamboyden on 6 June, 2014

The proposed transfer of management of the old Showfield to Frome Town Council, which would see the area maintained more as a park, has run into a legal problem, and the plan to invest over £40,000 in improving the open space for local people to enjoy, has been delayed for quite a while.

Mendip District Council and Frome Town Council officers and councillors, including myself, with help from Vision for Frome, have been working to help realise local residents’ aspirations to improve the old Showfield. A transfer of leases to FTC had been agreed in principle which would enable FTC to take responsibility for a Section 106 fund for improvements, and enhancements to long-term maintenance, as the best way to fully realise the community’s aspirations as expressed in the FTC/V4F– led public consultation in Autumn 2012.

However, with the undetermined Town & Village Green application (submitted by FROGS to Somerset County Council in 2011) still pending consideration, which will still take several years to be beard, the Agricultural Society (although happy in principle) objected to the lease transfer unless MDC retained legal liabilities. Mendip’s Cabinet are unwilling to retain liability, and so will not transfer the leases to FTC.  MDC is therefore planning to work out a scheme of improvements itself.

However MDC’s legal advice is that most of the priorities people identified (a fence around the playground, a mini-pitch, new paths and an outdoor fitness trail) cannot be carried out with the TVG application hanging over the site. MDC’s budget decisions also mean that cutting grass shorter in anything but a small area will also not happen. MDC may or may not consult local people on their eventual improvements plan, depending upon resources.

Because this is not what most residents wanted, I wrote a report for Frome Town Council to set out the issues and options ahead, for the Full Council meeting on 21st May. At the meeting my report was discussed with a covering report from the Town Clerk (see item 13 here). Council leader Mel Usher also proposed that FTC be proactive and commission an improvements plan that can be implemented with the TVG application in place. Town councillors agreed the following unanimously:

1. To note my report; 2 Confirm to MDC that FTC is still prepared to take on the lease (or a sub-lease) of the Showfield and express FTC’s disappointment that they unwilling to enable this. 3 Retain the action to explore freehold acquisition with the Agricultural Society and if it is possible, in principle, explore how much this might cost and where funding could be sourced; 4. Return to a future meeting of the Internal Affairs Cttee with updates; 5.  Request Somerset County Council’s Regulation Committee prioritise the determination of the TVG at the Showfield and/or provide additional resources, to hear the application soon; and 6. Instruct a landscape architect to prepare a plan of improvements that can be implemented with the TVG application in place, including improved security, improvements to existing footpaths, improvements to the playground… [wording to be confirmed].

I am now, once again, trying to arrange a meeting with all relevant parties to move things forward. The Frome Standard story on 5th June is here.

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  1. […] Mendip’s Local Plan has been examined by an inspector. Following the examination hearings and receipt of the Inspector’s Initial Recommendations, the Council is now consulting on Main Modifications to the Local Plan Part I.  All representations must be received by 5pm on Monday 4th August. The Main Modifications include that the housing supply figures are to be treated as a minimum requirement.  The Local Plan still states that some 9635 houses will be needed in the district up to the year 2029, including 2300 in Frome (including many already built or granted permission), and an additional 505 dwellings in the district which are not yet allocated to any particular location (but probably mostly in the north/northeast). The revised document states for Frome, around 1700 homes (down from the previous estimate of 2000) can be provided on brownfield land, and greenfield sites are needed to provide the remaining 400-600 homes. Larger housing sites are identified in the Local Plan Part 1 (including at Southfield Farm on the south east edge of town, which has outline planning permission for 450 houses), and the rest will be identified in Local Plan Part 2: Site Allocations document, which will start to be prepared later this year. The specific size for a medium sized foodstore at Saxonvale (previously ‘around 1500 sq ft’) has also been removed from the document. For further info see here, for the modifications please see here. […]

  2. […] Mendip’s Local Plan has been examined by an inspector. Following the examination hearings and receipt of the Inspector’s Initial Recommendations, the Council is now consulting on Main Modifications to the Local Plan Part I.  All representations must be received by 5pm on Monday 4th August. Mendip’s Local Plan is believed to have more weight in planning decisions from now on! The Main Modifications include that the housing supply figures are to be treated as a minimum requirement.  The Local Plan still states that some 9635 houses will be needed in the district up to the year 2029, including 2300 in Frome (including many already built or granted permission), and an additional 505 dwellings in the district which are not yet allocated to any particular location (but probably mostly in the north/northeast). The revised document states for Frome, around 1700 homes (down from the previous estimate of 2000) can be provided on brownfield land, and greenfield sites are needed to provide the remaining 400-600 homes. Larger housing sites are identified in the Local Plan Part 1 (including at Southfield Farm on the south east edge of town, which has outline planning permission for 450 houses), and the rest will be identified in Local Plan Part 2: Site Allocations document, which will start to be prepared later this year. The specific size for a medium sized foodstore at Saxonvale (previously ‘around 1500 sq ft’) has also been removed from the document. For further info see here, for the modifications please see here. […]

  3. […] an improvements plan that can be implemented with the TVG application in place. Town councillors agreed unanimously to take things forward including to start discussions with the Agricultural Society on buying the land in order to […]

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