Mendip’s Local Plan has been submitted for independent Examination, which will be in April 2014 – see http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/3290/Mendip-Local-Plan-submitted-for-Independent-Examination Mendip’s website with all the documents is here – http://www.mendip.gov.uk/localplanexamination Under the ‘Examination Hearing Sessions’ title there are two very important documents: 1. the ‘Main Matters’ is a list of what the Inspector wants to examine. These […]

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 […]

Local Open Spaces: feedback from residents: Local residents living around the open space on Brunel Way have asked for new dog waste bins, and litter bins, to help keep this area more free of dog poo and litter, so I will be working to get these installed as soon as possible. Residents are also concerned […]

Somerset Highways have informed me that their recent proposal to lower the speed limit on Oldford Hill, just to the north of the Bath Road/Gypsy Lane/Cuckoo Lane junction has been cancelled. This is really disappointing. This was due to the opposition to an increase in speed limit at Oldford, which was also proposed in the […]

Showfield update 17 December 2013: The proposed transfer of the old Showfield leases from Mendip District Council to Frome Town Council, has run into a problem due to a legal issue. I am supporting the transfer to FTC as it would enable FTC to manage the site and spend over £40,000 improvements fund to improve […]

Yesterday Mendip District Council’s Enforcement officers agreed to my suggestion to hold a public meeting with local residents to try and stamp out flytipping around Frome. Mendip District Council officers gave councillors a briefing on how they are tackling flytipping and other environmental crime.  There have been some successes across Mendip in bringing cases and […]

I recently received some complaints from local residents in Lime Close, Stonebridge, about the poor state of footways that serve houses either side of the road. This was after paths behind the housing area (along the stream) between Forest Road and the old Showfield were resurfaced recently. Residents, some of whom are elderly and worry […]

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 […]

Mendip District Council’s Draft Local Plan (Part 1, formerly known as the ‘Core Strategy’) includes strategic planning objectives for the District and its main settlements, requirements for jobs and homes, the allocation of strategic housing and employment areas, and policies to support sustainable development of land in the District.  The current Draft Local Plan was last […]

I am delighted to report that yesterday, Thursday 7th November, the Frome Liberal Democrats selected me, Adam Boyden, to stand as the Lib Dem candidate for the Frome Town Council byelection in College ward. As a vacancy arose at Frome Town Council in College ward, due to the recent resignation of cllr James Godman (Conservative), […]

Mendip District Council’s new “user friendly planning application facility” is now live! – please see here: After being worked on for three weeks, ‘You can now: Track the progress of a planning application  when you have registered a username and password) Make comments on a planning application (when you have registered a username and password) […]

Reasons to be cheerful… it’s soon #Frome SuperMarket, Artisan, Flea, Farmers & Peoples markets, Sunday 3rd Nov: http://www.fromesupermarket.co.uk/ What do you want to see happen in #Frome? Public consultation begins today on the draft Frome Neighbourhood Plan: http://www.frome-tc.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan/ ‘Participate #Frome‘ week, to encourage all to have their say and get involved in projects across Frome: http://www.frome-tc.gov.uk/participate-frome/ […]

‘… Let’s get together and feel all right. …’ The first public meeting of the ‘One Frome’ forum is at 7.00pm, Tuesday 29th October at Frome Medical Practice. This is a new initiative of Mendip District and Frome Town Councils, where councillors and officers from all three councils that serve our area (including Somerset County […]

Somerset Waste Partnership recently released county-wide figures for flytipping in 2012/13, which show an 8.7% fall across Somerset compared to 2011/12. Mendip district saw a 4.3% fall. It is good to see a fall in flytipping, but of course the statistics released by SWP do not tell the whole story.   In April 2011, cuts to […]

Recently, one of the three Frome Town Councillors for College ward, James Godman (Conservative),  resigned from the council.  I do wish James all the best for the future. See http://www.frome-tc.gov.uk/news/view/cllr-godman-resigns The Town Council’s recently advertised the vacancy and stated “If a written request for an election to fill this vacancy is made to the Returning Officer […]

Update 15th October: Mendip’s Cabinet have approved the transfer of leases to Frome Town Council, subject to the Council entering into negotiations with Frome Town Council about whether the proposed fence to the children’s play area should be included in the Section 106 improvements fund. See the following joint press release here: http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/3179/Town-council-to-take-over-leases-for-Frome-Showfield See also the […]

A new planning application has just been submitted by Latona Leisure for more houses at the former Mendip Lodge Hotel site on Bath Road, now known as ‘Bath Road Heights’. The plans are for 14 detached 3-, 4- and 5-bedroom houses at the remaining part of the former hotel site at the northern edge of Frome. […]

Mendip’s revised Play Strategy was approved at Cabinet in August 2013. This aims to target available funding towards the district’s most popular playgrounds, by identifying ‘low-use’ playgrounds where equipment can be removed and which can be redesigned as open spaces. Mendip agreed to work with local community groups, town council, ward councillors and nearby residents […]

Next steps: A cross-party working group of Mendip Councillors is being set up to implement the resolution of the Motion, with the first meeting in early December. Links: – Text of agreed motion: Mendip District Council, 30 September 2013 meeting: see ‘Updating – Motion on Fracking’: http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/2733/Monday-30-September-2013 – Somerset County Council Minerals Topic Paper on oil […]

Following previous articles (see bottom of this page), and recent discussions and decisions, I can now give a brief update on the latest situation on the plans to improve Frome’s old Showfield using funds from the Frome Medical Centre’s Section 106 Agreement. Frome Town Council recently applied to Mendip District Council’s Corporate Assets Management Group (CAMG) […]