Somerset council under fire for rejecting community-led regeneration project
Council leaders have been heavily criticised for rejecting what was billed as the UK’s largest community-led regeneration project in what is regarded as one of England’s most progressive towns.
Rather than selling a key 12-acre brownfield site in Frome to a not-for-profit social enterprise that planned a large number of affordable homes, extensive workspaces and a lido, Somerset council accepted a higher bid from an outside developer that specialises in residential projects.
A tense six-hour meeting of Somerset’s executive at Frome town hall ended in tears and acrimony on Wednesday evening, with residents accusing the Liberal Democrat-led authority of putting money before the chance to back an “exemplar” project at the Saxonvale site.
The not-for-profit Mayday Saxonvale scheme included plans for 263 homes with at least 30%, and possibly more than 50%, being affordable. It wanted to provide more than 10,000 sq metres of employment space, a boutique hotel, lido, two public squares and a community kitchen, with the site remaining in community ownership.
Its rival, Acorn Property Group, proposed 300 homes with 160 being affordable, and about employment space about half the size of that proposed by Mayday for the former factories site, which has been derelict for more than a quarter of a century.
Despite significant support in the town for Mayday, Somerset council voted to sell to Acorn, arguing that it meant building work would start quicker.
Paul Oster, the director of Mayday Saxonvale, said he believed the council had decided to sell to Acorn simply because it had offered more money. “They [Acorn] will protect their profit margins and the scheme will be eroded,” Oster claimed.
He said the only way to develop a site like Saxonvale meaningfully, rather than create a “cookie-cutter development”, was to co-design it with those who knew and understood the place and its history.
Kate Moore, who runs an artists’ studio and gallery on the edge of the Saxonvale site and was in tears at the decision, said: “It doesn’t make sense. I’m shocked that our democratic system can produce a result of this kind. We had a real vision that could have changed the way we did things in this country.”
Emily Saner, a retired school teacher, said: “When profit is the only motivation for development, there are significant losers. In the case of Saxonvale, the losers will be the people of Somerset.”
During the meeting, Acorn said it would work with the residents, and rejected the notion it would create a “cookie cutter” development, insisting it would build “individually designed” homes.
All the residents who spoke at the meeting supported Saxonvale. The town councillor Anita Collier, who has lived in Frome for 60 years, said she remembered the Saxonvale site when it was a vibrant place, alive with various industries.
“It was not just a series of busy factories, it was a place where workers shared a community that was a major part of Frome,” she said. “The workers there contributed to the use of the facilities within the town for shopping, lunch breaks and for enjoyment. It was a lively community in its own right, but with huge links across the whole town.”
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She argued the Mayday scheme would have built on the town’s community spirit and its reputation for creativity and collaboration.
Patricia Smith, who represented the Frome Civic Society, said it was not right to appoint a residential developer for Saxonvale. She said the Mayday scheme could have been a “true exemplar” for town centre brownfield developments.
Another resident, Alison Barclay, said: “Acorn has a more traditional approach to development, they have a focus towards their shareholders.”
As the decision was announced, residents called out: “Shame on you”, “You don’t have to do this” and, “It’s all about the money”. Several walked out.
Theo Butt Philip, one of the members of the executive, told the meeting they would have needed to find “compelling reasons” to go with the lower bid or face a legal challenge.
Councillors accepted that the size of the successful bid was important and reminded residents they had declared a financial emergency because of a £100m budget gap.
Bill Revans, the leader of Somerset council, said the Mayday scheme was “innovative and unique”, and praised the community land trust ownership model it included. But, he said: “I have reluctantly and with a heavy heart concluded that the Acorn bid does represent the most viable way.”