A Public Engagement Meeting was held by Frome Town Council on Thursday 2nd December at 7.00 pm. Nearly 40 people attended in person, with over 100 people attending via zoom.
You can watch the full presentation below, and questions that were not answered on the night are answered below.
Public Questions & Answers from the meeting December 2021
Why is there a bridge over the river at the bottom of the riverside park, why is this there? The river is not part of the old Saxonvale area? What impact will that have on the flow of traffic to that part of the town i.e. North Parade near the Museum?
The bridge from Willow Vale is a reinstatement of an arched bridge and access route across the river demolished following the tragic death of five children during an extreme flooding event in 1932.
Saxonvale has not flooded since 1975 when flood prevention measures were introduced at Welshmill.
Reinstating this bridge will have many benefits. It will connect Saxonvale to eastern destinations of the town centre (Bridge Street, Market Street, Market Yard, and the Cheese & Grain) and bring this central green corridor back into the recreational life of the town.
The bridge will be reserved for pedestrians and cyclists, not for traffic.
Is it correct that access to and from the car parks behind Iceland & M&S will only be through the centre of the development?
Routes currently from the town centre will remain open to car parks at the Irongates, although the M&S car park will be replaced by a two-deck stacked car park.
Drivers will be able to access Vicarage Street as they currently do, but a one-way system will operate. You will only be able to turn left at the end of Church Street.
Heavy delivery lorries and goods vehicles will redirect away from Vicarage Street, down Garsdale Road, and along Merchants Avenue.
There seem to be only two pedestrian access points at the river end of the site, a bridge and walkway, both of which are subject to feasibility studies. Could you expand on that, please, as those do seem pretty essential if the proposed park area is to be fully integrated with the centre of town?
Before any bridge reinstatement can be built, permission is required by the water authority, which is a feasibility exercise.
Mayday is fully committed to a new river crossing and to exploring a cantilevered walkway to the rear of the Blue Boar. This has been discussed for many years.
The location of these access points will be identified at the detailed planning stage and in consultation with landowners and river authorities.
Funds have been allocated for a new bridge to the riverside park and this will form part of the Section 106 agreement.
There are some great ideas there and well done from all of us in Frome — thank you. But is there a danger of it becoming like the development where Slipps Nurseries was, at the start of the Butts, becoming a free car park for workers and shoppers in town? Parking permits to residents perhaps?
Thank you for your support.
Many new housing developments have restricted parking arrangements, leading to on-street parking at the perimeters.
Our plan is a mixed-use scheme and not a high-density housing development, so less traffic will be generated overall.
Residents’ parking permits and parking schemes will operate from both of the main site car parks.
What are the chances of overturning the current chosen developers and how can we help get this over the line? How can Mendip / the new unitary authority be persuaded?
Through our outline application and the support it is receiving, it will become increasingly difficult for Mendip to reject a scheme that Frome supports. It will also be difficult to continue with a scheme that Frome has overwhelmingly rejected.
The greater the support that Frome expresses, the greater the chance that Mendip will be persuaded to change course.
Elections for the new unitary authority will take place in May next year and we hope that councillors putting themselves forward will have a red and white parachute somewhere in their rosette.
I fully support the scheme. One of the key principles is re-use and refurbishment of existing buildings. Are there any measures in place that would restrict Mendip, as landowner, from clearing the site?
Thank you for your support.
Applications to demolish existing heritage structures on the site have been subject to legal challenge and it is not likely that this programme will commence in the short term.
Historic and heritage buildings in Saxonvale still remain at risk.
Demolition applications include buildings at the former Silk Mill and works to trees in a conservation area and under a Tree Preservation Order.
Can someone on the team talk a little about connectivity and integration with the town — the site’s context. How can Frome benefit from the project and vice versa, such as increasing footfall, people staying longer, and spending money?
In a mixed-use scheme, Saxonvale would increase the area of the existing town centre by approximately 25%.
Since the first silk mill arrived on the site in 1785, this has historically been Frome’s employment base, with hundreds of workers travelling into the engineering and manufacturing industries.
Our plan reopens historic access routes into the site. Once redevelopment is complete, Saxonvale will be fully integrated into the town centre.
Different zones will become destinations in their own right — similar to how Stoney Street or Cheap Street function today — including Bow Exchange, Hill Village, and Merchants’ Avenue.
Community assets such as the spa, lido, boutique hotel and riverside park will create new leisure and recreational destinations, increasing footfall and dwell time.
What impact do you think the new Unitary Authority will have on these plans?
Community participation is a priority as the new Unitary Authority takes shape.
Somerset Council has launched extensive consultations across the region. The new authority must demonstrate that combining district functions does not reduce local representation.
We hope the objectives of community-led masterplanning align strongly with the aims of the new unitary structure.
What is the estimated time to build the full site?
We estimate it would take between five and seven years to complete.
How close is this plan to being accepted or passed, and what else can interested people do to help?
The application has received support from over 700 people through the District Council planning portal.
Frome Chamber of Commerce has recommended the scheme.
Frome Town Council and Frome Civic Society are still considering their responses before it proceeds to a full Planning Board meeting.
Although there is a standard three-month determination period, there is currently a backlog in the planning system.
We are creating a resource page on the Mayday website for people who want to get more involved. If you would like to help, please email info@maydaysaxonvale.co.uk.
Has the cost of construction of individual elements (for example new commercial space) been assessed to ensure financial viability and affordability for occupiers?
All aspects of construction have been independently costed.
Rental rates for commercial space have been assessed against the viability model and are expected to be affordable for the types of businesses anticipated.
Because the commercial space will be owned as community assets, rates and terms can be set to support community-valued businesses while remaining commercially viable.
How will cigarette ends, plastic and fine particles be filtered out before rainwater re-enters the river?
Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems will direct rainwater from streets and roofs into planted areas and tree systems that hold and filter water.
Interceptor features capture plastics and cigarette waste before water enters planting beds. Any residual waste will be removed through ongoing maintenance.
Soil and planting systems act as biological filters, preventing fine particulate matter from entering waterways.
In my experience, ponds can overfill and spill. Backup ponds downhill near the river would not work if the river itself is flooded. Can you provide reassurance that this has been properly addressed?
The drainage strategy has been designed within tight parameters including contaminated land, flood risk and achieving greenfield runoff rates.
Drainage engineers have modelled the system to ensure viability.
Control valves are included in the system to mitigate backing-up effects and manage peak flows.