A decision on “perverse” plans for more than 300 new housing units in Frome has been pushed back until early 2022.
Wainhomes and David Wilson Homes have made three separate requests to deliver the homes on either side of B3092 The Mount in the Little Keyford neighborhood of Frome, on the southern edge of town.
The Mendip District Council planning council met to discuss the plans on Monday evening (July 26), with officers recommending that two of the three requests be approved.
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But after three hours of debate, the board of directors unanimously voted to postpone a decision on the three sites for up to six months, calling the master plan “inadequate” and asking for more information.
As part of the proposals, Wainhomes will deliver 70 homes with access from Little Keyford Lane, with green space and a mitigation pond being provided at the southeast corner of the site.
The secondary road from this development will connect to the David Wilson Homes site on the west side of the mount, providing a route between the two main roads entering and leaving Frome for each subdivision.
Proposed layout of 70 houses on Little Keyford Lane in Frome (Image: Pegasus Planning Group)
The site at The Mount’s west site will provide 131 housing units, with another mitigation pond and green space at its southern edge.
The final parcel of land, on the east side of The Mount, will offer 118 units (up from 124 in the original plans) – bringing the total number of units to 319.
The access road to the latter site will be shifted to the south of the western development to avoid traffic jams or accidents.
Dr Pat Smith of the Frome Civic Society said all three plans should be rejected because the master plan showing how the sites would complement each other fell short.
She said: “The management agreement between the developers fails in all respects. It offers no broad vision for a united community, no clear design strategy for buildings or streetscapes, and no plans for consistent access.
“It just ties together the three separate subdivisions – it’s the most threadbare and superficial document.
“Matching notebook houses are completely foreign to the Frome vernacular. The proposed use of red brick is perverse in a city built upon and its native limestone.”
Joe Hannam Maggs, whose copyright protection firm is based in Sandys Hill Lane near the site, said plans should be changed to protect Little Keyford Lane’s character.
Proposed layout of 131 houses on B3092 The Mount in Frome (Image: Pegasus Planning Group)
He said: “All access should be from the B3092 main road. Little Keyford Lane has significant public amenity value and should not be allowed to become a rat run.
“The impact on the Frome River will be significant and current drainage plans are inadequate. This will cause local and downstream flooding and impact the quality of the river.
“The entire site is currently outside the Frome development boundary, which has been set to prevent poorly planned urban sprawl like this.”
Councilor Shane Collins, whose Frome Keyford neighborhood includes all three sites, criticized the design of the homes and said the development would exacerbate existing traffic problems in the city center.
He said: “I think today’s solutions will become tomorrow’s problems with a huge increase in traffic.
“When you go up the B3092 you come to Keyford one way – so people will either have to turn left into Rossiters Hill or right into Locks Hill. Two cars cannot pass on either road. .
“Planning does not lead to the creation of communities. There should be a focal point or place for community gatherings, such as a small green space with benches, a community orchard, or even a play area near houses and not on the curb near the main road. “
Councilor Helen Kay (who represents the same neighborhood) added: “This is essentially a suburban sprawl on mixed use farmland.
Proposed layout of 124 houses on B3092 The Mount in Frome (Image: Pegasus Planning Group)
“We need to become more resilient, and we may as well use some of the good farmland for allocations.”
Councilor Tom Killen called on developers to rethink the master plan to ensure new developments meet local needs and reflect the uniqueness of Frome.
He said: “I think we all recognize that these sites will be developed – as far as development sites are concerned, these are fairly easy fruits to expect.
“However, we have an obligation to ensure that developments meet what we need today – and our needs change.
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“The apps are trying to force something – we’re almost creating battles for the future. Developers should work on the blueprint to make sure it meets our requirements.”
After nearly three hours of debate, the board of directors unanimously voted to postpone a decision on the three applications for up to six months, in order to give the developers time to come up with an alternative master plan for the zoned.
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Source: www.somersetlive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-07-28 04:00:00
