Apologies for radio silence recently, I explain explain here.

Is your rubbish collection day changing?

Recycling and rubbish kerbside collection days will change in June for many residents in the former Mendip (including in and around Frome) and South Somerset areas. Every household affected should receive a letter and a Waste Collection Service Guide with an updated collection calendar about the changes. The changes aim to make collection rounds more efficient and manageable for crews, while reducing mileage and carbon emissions. To check your new rubbish and recycling dates, please enter your postcode into the online look-up and calendar download tool. To find out more about the re-routeing, please see here.

Are you registered to vote in the General Election?

A General Election has been called for Thursday 4 July and Somerset residents are being urged to register to vote and check their Voter ID to ensure you can have your say on who represents you in Parliament.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Tuesday 18 June, and you can apply online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. You can vote in person, by post or by proxy (by appointing someone you trust to vote in your place). The deadlines to apply for a postal or proxy vote are 5pm on Wednesday 19 June and 26 June respectively. If you vote in person at the polling station you are now legally required to present an accepted photo ID before being allowed to vote. If you do not have an accepted photo ID you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate before 5pm on Wednesday 26 June. Please see here Are you registered to vote in the General Election? (somerset.gov.uk) or call 0300 123 2224 or email elections@somerset.gov.uk or me if you have any questions.

The new Frome and East Somerset constituency:

Parliamentary constituency boundaries have changed since the last General Election (when I stood in Somerton & Frome in 2019) and last year’s by-election (when we elected Lib Dem Sarah Dyke as our MP). Frome and the surrounding rural area is now part of the new Frome and East Somerset constituency (see map below), which also includes Radstock, Midsomer Norton and Peasedown St John (previously part of the North East Somerset constituency). Please see General Election – have your say in Frome & East Somerset.

General Election hustings:

Frome Town Council is organising the hustings at the Cheese and Grain, Market Yard, Frome on Tuesday 2^nd July from 7pm to 9pm. Please see here for details and a link to book a place on the waiting list (all in person tickets are sold out) and to submit a question to the candidates. The event will also be live streamed (details to follow).

Anna Sabine, Lib Dem candidate for Frome & East Somerset:

At the end of January, Lib Dem members selected local businesswoman Anna Sabine to be the Lib Dem General Election candidate for Frome & East Somerset (see here Anna Sabine selected as Parliamentary candidate for Frome & East Somerset (bathneslibdems.org.uk)).

Anna’s website is here Frome and East Somerset Liberal Democrats (anna4fes.uk). To help elect Anna as your next MP please contact her team at Volunteer – Frome and East Somerset Liberal Democrats (anna4fes.uk) or email contact@anna4fes.uk.

Frome Community survey:

Frome Town Council has launched an online survey to find out about the priorities of people in Frome. The survey follows a series of ‘pop-up’ engagement events around the town in recent weeks. A public meeting 18th July at the Cheese and Grain from 4pm to 7pm will offer another opportunity to ask questions, add comments and make suggestions. As a thank you, entrants will be entered into a prize draw. Please visit Have your say – complete the Frome Community Survey – Frome Town Council. The survey will be open until the end of June. You can find the survey at https://bit.ly/FromeSurvey2024.

Selwood Garden Community:

There will be several other big decisions here in the next few months. It looks likely that planning application for the Selwood Garden Community (application 2021/1675/EOUT) at the southern edge of Frome (for up to 1,700 new homes, employment sites, and other facilities), will come to Somerset Council’s next Planning – East Committee, of which I am currently a member, on 11th July (see here). I and other members of the committee have just had an official tour of the site and a briefing from officers.

Beckington Parish Council have raise concerns that the scheme proposes work to the two roundabouts adjacent to Beckington on the A36 (by Beckington Services with the A361 to Rode and Trowbridge, and with the A361/Warminster Road by the White Row Farm shop) to aim to address traffic congestion, which do not enable safe pedestrian access across the roundabouts. I hope to find a solution by working with the parish and Somerset Council.

Saxonvale:

Somerset Council is reviewing options for the future of the Saxonvale site in Frome town centre, including by seeking bids (see here) from the current interested parties (Acorn Property Group and Mayday Saxonvale), to buy the site, so that the successful bidder can proceed to develop the site (subject to planning) for housing, commercial and community uses. I understand that this will culminate in a decision by the Council’s Executive on which bidder to sell the site to, in a public meeting in Frome in July. This decision will be huge for Frome, and should finally lead to the site being transformed into a vibrant, high quality and sustainable place to live, work and play.

Rode Solar Farm decision deferred, and plans amended:

The planning application for Low Carbon’s proposed solar farm (2023/2183/FUL) to the east of Rode was deferred at Somerset Council’s Planning Committee (East) on 7th May, for a period of 3 months, contrary to the Officer’s recommendation, for the reconsideration of access on Monkley Lane, and for reconsideration of the scale of the development in terms of the quantum of the application scheme and its impact on the landscape and heritage assets, in particular the conservation area and listed buildings.

I proposed the deferral due to the concerns raised by local residents, Rode Parish Council and Somerset Council’s Conservation Officer. After the meeting I reached out to the applicants Low Carbon, Rode Parish Council, the case officer and objectors from Monkley Lane. Then on 3rd June the applicants submitted revised plans and an accompanying letter and Access Strategy report. Low Carbon proposes a new track be created to access the development areas south of Monkley Lane directly from the Rode Common and Rode Farm access during construction; and the site plan has been revised to remove solar panels in the fields surrounding Flexham Farm, provide additional planting along the northern boundary and reduce the size of the inverter stations. Some of the consultees have already responded (see 2023/2183/FUL). Please see here for more. The revised application is expected to come back to Committee in the next few months.

Farleigh swimming club’s bid for River Frome bathing water site is successful:

The application by Farleigh & District Swimming Club for their river swimming site along the River Frome at Farleigh Hungerford to be designated as an official Bathing Water has been approved by DEFRA after a public consultation (see the announcement and reports here). This is very good news.

I met the club last year with (Cllr Dawn Denton), sent letters of support and obtained official support from Somerset Council (via cllr Sarah Dyke before she was MP) for the bid. Designation of the site as a bathing water recognises the river as legitimately used for swimming, and will require official monitoring of water quality for human health to be undertaken by the Environment Agency, and publicised. This should also mean more investment is made to improve water quality at the designated bathing water by reducing polluting discharges into the River Frome. Please see here for more on this, and here for the club’s website: Club News • Farleigh & District Swimming Club • Farleigh Hungerford (farleighswimming.co.uk). I am also hoping to help the club sort out the required public information signage with Somerset Council.

Oldford Hill development proposals will not need formal EIA:

In February (see here), plans were made public for a potential housing development of 420 new homes, associated infrastructure, access, roads, drainage/utilities, public open spaces and landscaping, on land east of Oldford Hill, between Oldford, and Gypsy Lane in Frome. This was through the submission of a request to Somerset Council for a formal Screening Opinion on whether the proposal would require Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The Council’s planning team has recently decided that EIA is not required (see documents here) as significant effects on the environment are not likely. Please see here for more on this. A planning application is expected to be submitted later this year, after a pre-application public consultation.

Beckington housing scheme:

Cotswold Homes is seeking feedback from local residents on its draft plans for 20 new homes on land east of Great Dunns Close in Beckington. The site was previously proposed for 30 homes by Redrow, whose application was refused by Mendip District Council and then at appeal in 2022 due to the village’s drainage system being at capacity. There is a dedicated website https://ch-beckington.co.uk, with an online form to provide feedback, with a closing date of 3rd July. The site location and drainage concept plan (for a new rising main sewer to bypass the existing drainage system that runs through the centre of Beckington) are shown below. The promoters are delivering leaflets to local residents, and a planning application is expected to be submitted in July.

A Neighbourhood Plan is also being prepared for Beckington parish, by a Steering Group, to identify local policies on where new development should go and not go in future, and what development should be, and I hope to attend the next meeting.

Norton St Philip developer appeals:

Housing developer Lochailort has submitted appeals for non-determination of their three planning applications in Norton St Philip for 8, 27 and 30 homes at and around Fortescue Fields. Please see the letter about the joint planning hearing on 4th July in Radstock, below.

Cheese and Grain expansion plans:

The Cheese and Grain in Frome has announced a public consultation on £1.7m plan to expand its facilities, subject to planning permission and funding, to support local and upcoming musicians. The new building proposed between the Canoe Club and the rear of the Cheese and Grain tower would house rehearsal spaces, editing suites, a lift large enough for grand pianos and a further wheelchair accessible washroom. It would mean that messy and noisy logistics, including recycling and waste management and beer deliveries would be moved indoors on the ground floor. Please see here (C&G) and here (BBC). I attended a recent reception for local councillors about the project, and took some photos of the emerging plans.

Somerset Council launches ‘call for sites’ for nature:

Somerset Council has issued a ‘call for sites’ to land owners, promoters and managers, to enhance their land for wildlife biodiversity and provide nature-based solutions to mitigate the effects of development on water quality. This is to help deliver Biodiversity Net Gain and phosphate mitigation schemes and to support the delivery of new housing development in Somerset (see here – “Call for sites” launched for nature-based solutions to unlock development (somerset.gov.uk)). The deadline for sites to be submitted runs until 15 July 2024. Please see here for detailed guidance on how to submit a site into the process – Environmental Call for Sites (somerset.gov.uk).

New play area in Welshmill Woods:

Frome’s new mayor opened Frome’s newest play area on 23rd May, among the trees at Welshmill Woods, off Welshmill Road near the playground. 60 Year Two students from St John’s First School joined the mayor to cut the ribbon and test out the new play equipment, which includes a pirate ship, named ‘Helen’, a mud kitchen, seesaw, balance beams and seating. The play area was designed by pupils from St John’s First School. Please see here for more.

Senior staff made redundant at Somerset Council:

At Somerset Council’s Full Council meeting in May, councillors approved 49 redundancies of senior staff, as the first part of a programme to save Somerset Council more than £40 million a year. Like many other councils, Somerset Council is facing a financial emergency due to the rising costs of providing essential services like social care. In setting a budget for 2024/25 in February, councillors endorsed a new vision for a leaner council and agreed reduce the number of staff and managers (including senior directors, which required Full Council approval), by around 25%. The first step is a voluntary redundancy scheme, which has now concluded with 201 applications accepted, which will save more than £8m a year. 

The total one-off cost of all the redundancies will be £12.8m and will reduce the annual pay bill by £8.2m, meaning a pay back period of less than two years. The cost will be met from capital funds, as approved by Government, so the pay bill will start to reduce as soon as each post is removed. It is great shame to lose such good and dedicated staff. Please see Voluntary redundancy scheme update (somerset.gov.uk) and Nearly 50 senior Somerset Council officers made redundant as council cuts 200 staff – Somerset Live.

Mendip Markets join national campaign:

Mendip Markets, run by Somerset Council, took part in the national ‘Love Your Local Market’ (LYLM) campaign which celebrates traditional markets and its dedicated traders – see Mendip Markets joins national campaign to celebrate markets and traders (somerset.gov.uk)

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