Organised by CPRE SomersetPlease help with our legal costs as we try to save beautiful countryside on the edge of Frome, Somerset. The massive development of 1700 homes is not in the Local Plan and will lead to the loss of 157 acres of farmland & over 2 miles of hedgerows.
We are trying to save a huge swathe of beautiful countryside on the edge of Frome, Somerset from an application to build 1700 homes, two care homes, new roads and employment land, drive through takeaway and other edge-of-town development. If it goes ahead not only will the landscape setting of Frome be destroyed, but the town and nearby villages will be swamped with traffic.
The application, so called Selwood Garden Community, has been called in by the Secretary of State as it is so significant. This means it will be decided by a Planning Inspector at a public inquiry in July 2025.
This is a complex case so we have commissioned the specialist services of a Planning Lawyer from Landmark Chambers to write a legal letter to the Planning Inspector. We will present evidence that the Inspector should take note of two previous landscape appraisals which both state that this land should NOT be developed. We will also argue that this application should be refused as it is NOT included in the Local Plan for the area and conflicts with key policies in the Local Plan.
CPRE Somerset is determined to protect our beautiful countryside but, as you can imagine, this specialist legal advice does not come cheap! If you can make a donation to help us with these legal costs, it would help a great deal.
The application is called Selwood Garden Community, but this will be anything but a “garden” or a “community”. If permission is granted, the land will be parcelled up into lots and sold to the highest bidders. This will lead to a disjointed, poorly planned development made up of a patchwork of housing estates, with each developer having its own design code.
You can read the planning application for yourself on the Somerset Council website here If the link does not work, search for planning ref 2021/1675/EOUT under Somerset Council Planning, Area East
Crucially, this rural area is land that is NOT allocated for development in the Local Plan. Two previous landscape appraisals done by Mendip Council themselves, when writing their Local Plan, say that this land should NOT be developed.
We know that Britain needs more houses, but they must be carefully planned, with local people allowed to have their say. It is not appropriate for huge schemes of this sort to be tacked onto existing towns as an afterthought when they were not included in the Local Plan. Frome has already got in the region of 1,250 new homes officially allocated in the existing Local Plan and this is a massive development in addition!
It’s too far from the centre of town to walk to, and two miles from the rail station. It will be a dormitory town for people to commute to and from their work further afield.
We deserve better than this!
The landscape of the River Frome valley is beautiful. This is the green lungs of Frome, with green fields and hedges, and ancient lanes for walking, horse-riding and cycling. Far reaching views will be lost, and the setting of heritage assets will be harmed, if the planning application is approved.
157 acres of farmland and over 2 miles of hedgerow will be lost forever.
Much of this farmland is high quality, Best & Most Versatile Land. This is our finest land for growing food and will be covered in tarmac and concrete. Hundreds of mature trees will be cut down, destroying wildlife habitats.
The costs of this scheme, if approved, will also be intensified pressure on
o health care services
o education
o public transport
o water and sewage
CPRE Somerset is a small, independent charity that speaks up for the countryside and rural communities of Somerset.
We often feel like we are in a David and Goliath" situation when taking on large developers but it is not impossible, and we have won significant cases before!
We are working closely with the local community and we are in agreement that our best bet is to clearly point out legal reasons why this awful development should be refused.
We are hoping to raise £3000 to cover the cost of a legal letter to help convince the planning inspector to refuse the application. We will also be speaking ourselves at the inquiry in our capacity as an interested party.
As a small charity, we need your help with legal costs like this.
Please give a donation, however small, to help us with our legal challenge against this dreadful proposal. Let's stop SGC and protect this beautiful countryside, so cherished by the people of Frome.
Thank you.
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