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Plan to build 74 homes on green fields is rejected

People For Packsaddle An aerial view of a several green fields with paths crossing them and hedges along the borders. A small crowd of people are standing in one corner of a field. In the distance, many houses can be seen, on the edge of Frome.People For Packsaddle
Locals have been campaigning to preserve Packsaddle Fields as a green space

Proposals to build 74 houses and a home for disabled children on green fields have been rejected by councillors.

Housing association LiveWest had submitted development plans for Frome's Packsaddle Fields that included 16 affordable homes, alongside funding for schools and road upgrades.

But Somerset Council's planning committee refused the application, citing concerns about the loss of recreational space and strong community opposition.

Locals in Frome now hope to buy the council-owned fields after campaigning to preserve the site as a green space.

People For Packsaddle An artist's impression of a housing development with several beige brick houses among leafy trees and green lawns. A man is standing holding a bag by a silver car. On the right a woman walks with a pushchair and another woman walks across the street pushing a bike.People For Packsaddle
Sixteen affordable homes were proposed – alongside funding for schools and road upgrades

In 2023 Packsaddle Fields were listed as an asset of community value (ACV), meaning the community can place a 12-month moratorium on any development to give them a chance to raise the funds needed to buy the land.

The ACV designation was also described by the council as a "material consideration" in its report on the decision.

Fletcher Robinson, a trustee of the Somerset branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, argued at a council planning committee meeting the development would have caused "significant and demonstrable harm to the wider community through loss of the open space".

'Used daily and extensively'

Toby Cullf, from the campaign group People for Packsaddle, accused LiveWest and the council of ignoring public sentiment.

"The inconvenient truth for the developer and council is that these fields are, and have been for 50 years, at the heart of our community," Mr Cullf told the meeting.

"They are loved, and they are used daily and extensively."

People For Packsaddle A field with long, bright green grass with a trodden brown grassy path cutting through it and leafy trees in the distance.People For Packsaddle
Several paths criss-cross through the fields, which sit at the edge of Frome

At the meeting councillors praised the community's mobilisation to protect the site.

Adam Boyden said the fields were "very special", emphasising their long-standing recreational use.

Dawn Denton and Claire Sully voiced concerns about the government's push for housing developments at the expense of green spaces.

A spokesperson for Somerset Council said: "Relevant planning matters were considered against local and national planning policy, including the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which was updated in December 2024 and has a strong emphasis towards housing delivery.

"While public comments were fully considered, Somerset Council must consider and balance all relevant planning factors and also be mindful if its position, in the event of an appeal."

Under targets set by the government, 3,769 homes have to be built in Somerset every year.

After a two-hour debate, the committee rejected the application.

LiveWest has not confirmed whether it will appeal the decision.

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