Agenda and draft minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts.

To receive and note any declarations of interests in respect of any matters included on the agenda for consideration at this meeting.

(The other registrable interests of Councillors of Somerset Council, arising from membership of City, Town or Parish Councils and other Local Authorities will automatically be recorded in the minutes: City, Town & Parish Twin Hatters - Somerset Councillors 2023 )

There were no declarations of interest made at the meeting.

The Chair to advise the Committee of any items on which members of the public have requested to speak and advise those members of the public present of the details of the Council’s public participation scheme.

For those members of the public who have submitted any questions or statements, please note, a three minute time limit applies to each speaker and you will be asked to speak before Councillors debate the issue.

We are now live webcasting most of our committee meetings and you are welcome to view and listen to the discussion. The link to each webcast will be available on the meeting webpage, please see details under ‘click here to join online meeting’.

Public questions were received from:-

·       Anita Collier – Frome Town Councillor

·       Fiona Barrows – Frome Town Councillor

·       Richard Lines

·       Dr Patricia Smith – Frome Civic Society

·       Ali Barclay – Frome Community Land Trust

·       Alison Murdoch – Local Resident

·       Bryan Wilson – Rotary Club of Frome

·       Emily Saner – Local resident

·       Vaness Taylor – Local Resident

The questions and responses provided are attached to the minutes in Annex A.

Report to follow.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Bill Revans, welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained the procedures that would be followed in regard to the public and private sessions:

The ownership of the Saxonvale site had been passed from the former Mendip District Council to Somerset Council in April 2023.  Somerset Council had taken the opportunity to take a fresh look at the options for the site and develop a strategy for its development.

In doing so, the Executive recognised this was a hugely important site for the community of Frome.  The site also had a financial significance for the wider Somerset community. The land was acquired with a significant investment of public money, and the Executive had a legal duty to ensure the Council got the best value for council taxpayers. 

The Executive were committed to listening to the views and concerns of residents and, as part of taking a fresh look at the proposals and developing a strategy for the site, the Executive had undertaken an exercise to compare proposals from Acorn Group and Mayday Saxonvale Development Limited; two developers who had well-advanced proposals and who had expressed an interest in purchasing the site.

The Executive were meeting today to take a decision on whether to enter into more detailed discussions with one of the two developers.  It was important to understand that this was not a planning decision.  As part of the meeting, the Executive might decide to take forward a sale of the land to either Acorn Group or Mayday Saxonvale or could decide not to take forward a sale.  A separate planning process would govern how the site was developed. 

As a listening Council, officers and councillors had actively engaged with both parties during the process and had been in continued dialogue with Frome Town Council to ensure their views were heard. The meeting was being held in Frome, as the Executive recognised that the site was hugely important to the community of Frome.  

In any land sale decision, the Council had to compare the financial and commercial terms of different options.  This involved consideration of commercially sensitive information that was private to the two developers, which could not be discussed in public session.  For the Executive to make an informed decision they would need to consider the documents in private session.

At the appropriate time there would be a vote and resolution to enter that private session. Elected members of Somerset Council, officers and professional advisors would then relocate to a private room to discuss the confidential detail. Once completed, the Executive would return to the public session to make their decision.

The Leader of the Council called upon Steve Tanner from Frome Town Council to present the representations from the Town Council to the committee. The following points were highlighted:-

·       Officers were thanked for their continued lines of communication with the Town Council.

·       The derelict nature of the Saxonvale site.

·       Both schemes had elements to be applauded, which included employment options.

·       The Town  ...  view the full minutes text for item 173.