After a meeting with people from 10 agencies this September, Fair Housing for Frome are taking forward an emergency rough sleepers cold weather night shelter in Frome, as a volunteer coordinator has been appointed and volunteers have received training. Having helped initiate this, I am pleased to see it is happening before winter weather sets […]

I received the agenda for Mendip’s Cabinet meeting on 26th November this week. Agenda item 11 listed here deals with the proposed changes to Mendip’s Local Plan Part 2. Cabinet is asked to agree Proposed Changes (also known as ‘modifications’) following an assessment of responses to consultation on the Pre-submission Plan held in Jan/Feb 2018. Subject to […]

Dear all, As one of the councillors for Frome College ward on Mendip District Council, I want to keep you up to date, so please see below for my latest news on local issues: Community orchard proposed at the Old Showfield Planning application for 96 homes at Packsaddle Way has been withdrawn Packsaddle parks in […]

Dear all, I am one of the councillors for Frome College ward on Mendip District Council, and want to keep you up to date, please see below for my latest news on local issues: Opposition to Mendip’s Sunday parking charges Somerset County Council calls for conversation on Unitary Council Changing Places puts Frome on the […]

Mendip District Council’s Draft ‘Pre-Submission’ Local Plan Part 2 public consultation ended on 12th February. Some 300 responses have so far been added to the council’s website here and there are more to be added. Policy FR6: Land at Innox Hill (Packsaddle Way) There are many objections from local residents and other councillors to policy FR6 and […]

Mendip District Council’s Draft ‘Pre-Submission’ Local Plan Part 2 is now out for public consultation until mid-February 2018 – see here (see Section 10 Town Policies, pages 18-19). Policy FR6 proposes to allocate the large field between the end of Packsaddle Way, Innox Hill and Spring Gardens for the development of up to 100 houses. […]

Dear All,  please see below a roundup of news from the ward and local area, and updates on what your councils are doing. This has taken some time, so apologies it has been a long time since the last one. Old Showfield improvements to continue Frome Town Council is planning further improvements to the Old […]

Dear All,  I hope you find this update on news for Frome College ward, Frome and Mendip useful. How can I help? As ever, please get in touch if you have any issues you need help with. Super Frome 10k: Once again I am running the Frome 10k on Sunday 17th July as part of […]

Co-op Fromefield: The new Co-op convenience store is open at Fromefield, with a cashpoint on the corner. I am now in discussion with residents and MDC officers on a few planning matters and I’m hoping to help persuade Radco to improve the appearance of the building in terms of the setting of the neighbouring listed […]

Mendip’s draft Local Plan Part 2 was published for public consultation until 16th December, and sets out where more housing and other development could go between now and 2029, including at least 350 more houses in Frome. It identifies two greenfield sites at Packsaddle Way as potentially suitable for new housing. Site 5 (‘the school […]

Tesco Express in Stonebridge should reopen in December as a larger store and 4 flats (‘Acacia View’) above. I successfully argued for improvements to the planning application (2014/0970/FUL) to improve the design and lighting, and ensure no overall loss of parking spaces or trees, which will be replanted. New plans have been recently submitted for […]

Earlier in June, together with county councillor Linda Oliver and town councillor Nick White, I met the site managers of the new development of the shops and flats development on Forest Road, Stonebridge to get a briefing about the construction project and ask questions. Planning permission was granted by Mendip District Council in January for […]

February 2015: I have just been informed that Latona Leisure have submitted an Appeal against Mendip District Council’s refusal of permission for the development of the rest of the Bath Road Heights site for 8 new 4 and 5 bedroom detached homes (ref 2014/0981/FUL) on Bath Road at the northern edge of Frome. I commented […]

Update, May 2015 The development of the Stonebridge shops expansion with flats above (ref. 2014/0970) received planning permission in January. I successfully argued for some improvements to the plans, to avoid a loss of car parking spaces, include more tree planting, and improve the design. The trees which were cut down in April will be […]

Update, September 2014: Revised plans for the extension to the shops, and construction of new flats above them, at Forest Road, Stonebridge, Frome, have been submitted to Mendip District Council. Consultation on the revised plans has begun and you have until 13th October 2014 to comment. See also the Frome Standard article this week. A […]

I am keeping an eye on local planning matters in the area. Mendip’s Local Plan has been examined by an inspector, who will report back soon on whether it is accepted. Co-op at Fromefield: Revised plans for the proposed Co-op convenience store (ref 2013/1514) have been submitted which the developer hopes will overcome local objections […]

Earlier this month, the planning application for 14 houses at ‘Bath Road Heights’, phase 2 of the redevelopment of the former Mendip Lodge Hotel site, opposite Frome Community College, were withdrawn by Latona Leisure. The planning application submitted to Mendip District Council last autumn was for 14 new 3, 4 and 5 bedroom houses on […]

An outline planning application has been submitted to Mendip District Council for the development of 107 new houses in a field on Cuckoo Hill, between Packsaddle Way, Innox Hill and Spring Gardens, and close to the River Frome downstream of the town. The submitted plans, reports and consultation comments, can all be found on Mendip […]

I have been working on a few things recently, in response to local residents concerns, which you have told me about on the doorstep, on the phone and by email: Flytipping on Gypsy Lane – Public Meeting to be held: Yesterday Mendip District Council’s Enforcement officers agreed to my suggestion to hold a public meeting […]

I recently asked senior officers at Mendip District Council “if the Council is reviewing the impact of the bedroom tax (officially known as the spare room subsidy reduction), on people in Mendip, e.g. how many people affected, how many disabled people are affected, are people able to downsize or are they stuck with a loss […]