DOZENS of new homes could soon be built on the southern edge of a Somerset town after revised plans were put forward.

Wainhomes originally proposed to build 70 homes on Little Keyford Lane in Frome, opposite the existing Marston Trading Estate which includes the town’s recycling centre.

Mendip District Council’s planning board refused the plans in October 2021, prompting the developer to lodge an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate.

The company has now put forward amended proposals responding to the boards’ concerns, with the access now being onto the B3092 The Mount.

Somerset County Gazette: Master-plan For The Little Keyford Development Area In Frome, Comprising 319 Homes. CREDIT: Origin3. Free to use for all BBC wire partners.

This comes mere weeks after the board approved Barratt David Wilson Homes’ plans for a combined total of 249 homes across two sites immediately to the south of the Wainhomes plot.

The three sites taken together form part of a wider housing allocation within the council’s Local Plan Part II, which was formally adopted in December 2021.

The board initially refused Wainhomes’ plans on the grounds that Little Keyford Lane could not safety handle additional traffic, and the loss of hedgerows would cause “significant, irreversible, harmful effects” to the area.

Following this refusal in October, the two developers produced a fresh master-plan for the Keyford area, showing all three sites leading onto the B3092 – with the total number of homes remaining at 319.

Somerset County Gazette: Plans For 70 Homes On The B3092 The Mount In Frome. CREDIT: Pegasus Planning Group. Free to use for all BBC wire partners.

Pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to access Little Keyford Lane, providing a sustainable route between the new homes and the industrial estate.

A spokesman for Pegasus Planning Group (representing the applicant) said: “The proposal is soundly based upon the principles of high-quality design and best practice, and will be characterised by varied townscape that possesses its own identity yet is sensitive to context.

“The scheme at Little Keyford Lane has been designed for the needs of its users and will be legible, safe and comfortable to use. The scheme has been designed so that it will feel safe and be well-connected, readily understood and easily navigated for all users, irrespective of mobility or mode of transport.”

If the new Wainhomes plans are approved, it will mean only one Frome site allocated within the Local Plan Part II remains without approved plans for development.

In addition to the two Barratt David Wilson Homes sites, the council voted in February to approve plans for 198 new homes either side of Sandys Hill Lane, with proposals for commercial units near the site expected to come forward before the end of the year.

Plans to regenerate the Saxonvale site in the town centre, delivering 300 homes, commercial space and an arts and  heritage centre, have now been approved twice – though alternative plans have also come forward from the community-led Mayday Saxonvale group.

New employment units on the B3090 Marston Road, near the town’s Sainsbury’s supermarket, were also granted permission back in February 2020.

This leaves only a small parcel of land on the northern side of Little Keyford Lane, which is earmarked for 20 houses – and is included within the wider proposals for the Selwood Garden Community.

The council is expected to make a decision on the new Wainhomes plans later in the spring, with the application expected to come before the planning board for public decision rather than being handled through the delegated powers of planning officers.