Campaign update

Summer's over, but the campaign continues. After a knife-edge poll of supporters and activists, we're now called Keep Frome Local, a name likely to usually come with the strap-line No Big Supermarket! There's been yet another flurry of debate in the local media, and we've called for the two supermarket/Saxonvale-related groups to work together in the interests of the town, as well as asking the newly-formed "Frome For All" to make their position on Mendip District Council's long-standing development brief more clear. It's all here.

An illustrative excerpt:


'Luke Wilde said the general consensus of various public meetings was that hundreds of Frome people support the district council's brief on how it wants the site to look. He said: "The brief document involved massive local input, and a lot of hard work. It has been regularly re-approved by the district and town councils since it was first published.

'It meets most of the requirements that Councillor Nick White and Michael Rhodes seem to want; a good range of shops, and the kind of new town centre development they say local people are in favour of." Mr Wilde said the brief does allow for a supermarket, but one of about 16,000sq ft – not the 40,000sq ft proposed by St James Investments.

'He said: "We believe a bigger supermarket would have a catastrophic effect on traders in the centre of Frome, and bring massive problems with traffic. The brief is supported by Independents for Frome councillors such as deputy mayor Pippa Goldfinger, Peter Macfadyen and Graham Burgess. This position also seems shared by Liberal Democrats district councillors, including Sam Phripp."'

Regular updates will now return.

Article in The Guardian's Weekend magazine

On the power of the Big Four supermarkets, and local campaigns aimed at bringing them down to earth. There's a sizeable chunk about Frome:

"...We want the land in question redeveloped, and we'd be all right with a modest-sized foodstore, but we believe that a huge supermarket that also sold books, CDs, clothes, toys and all the other staples of modern big-box retailing would be very bad news indeed. Among its other wonders, our town has a brilliant record shop and book shop, a fabulous independent toy shop and a lot of locally run cafes. We'd rather it stayed like that.

"...While all this has been going on, I have been introduced to a fizzing culture of protest and a ragged army of people, from anarchists to those partly worried about local house prices. What unites us is simple enough: the conviction that if we're not careful, we will sleepwalk into a future where the Big Four represent the only choice we have."

The whole thing is here.

Vote on our name - the run off

We're now down to two options for the campaign's name. Please vote! You can do it here.

Our campaign needs a name!

We've gone for months without one, but now seems the time. You can vote for some existing suggestions or make your own here.

The Saxonvale Manifesto

It's here, and you can read and download it if you click here. Please post comments below, and with any luck, a lively conversation will ensue: we'll  be back into the thread at regular intervals (if you have any trouble posting, involving the appearance of red dots, fear not: keep pressing 'post comment', and it'll be fine). You can also email us at saxonvalesupermarket@gmail.com.

Last night's meeting

A great meeting last night. Kevin McCloud led a lively, in-depth discussion of issues surrounding Saxonvale, taking in everything from social housing to the workings of food markets. There was a very high turnout, and the Saxonvale Manifesto (see above) was received very well. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy; you can also download it from this blogsite. A transcript of Kevin's interview/comments on the platform will follow.

Launched tonight, and online tomorrow: The Saxonvale Manifesto

Tonight's meeting with Kevin McCloud at the Rook Lane Chapel will see the launch of The Saxonvale Manifesto, which sets out the case against another big supermarket for Frome, and a different vision of the town's future. It'll be here to download from 9am tomorrow (Friday 1st July), and we want as many comments as possible. Watch this space.
(We'll also be selling hard copies for £1 each at the Artisan Market on Catherine Hill this Sunday).

Public meeting with Kevin McCloud on Thursday 30th June

TV star backs grander designs for Frome

The presenter of Channel 4's Grand Designs has stepped in to help the campaign group opposed to the planned Saxonvale development.

Local resident Kevin McCloud will speak at the next public meeting to be held at at 7.30pm, Thursday 30th June at Rook Lane Chapel.  

"It's a critical point in our campaign.  We understand that the proponents of a big supermarket, St James Investments, will be taking an exclusivity agreement for part of the land in the next few days" explained Frome resident and chairman of the campaign group, Luke Wilde. 

"Things could now start to move very quickly and it's time for the community to put down a marker.  We very much welcome Kevin's experience and input and hope that as many as possible can attend."

The public meeting at Rook Lane Chapel will ask 'If not a big supermarket, what then?  How can a Saxonvale development aid Frome's sustainability?'

At the event the campaign group will present a community manifesto for Saxonvale.  This will combine public feedback from previous meetings held at the Cheese and Grain with thoughts and views shared in local press, social media and email correspondence.  

Mr Wilde added:  "We're putting out a clear message that this community cares about its future and wants to have an active say in it.  The recent council elections underline this. Frome is loved for its independence and that is its point of difference from so many other towns.  If we want a development which is in character with the rest of Frome, we need a big turn out on the night to show the developers we will put up a fight."

Kevin McCloud's recent letter in the Somerset Standard expressed his view on the redevelopment of Frome's Saxonvale site.  He wrote:

"We will not create distinctive local towns that thrive economically and are a pleasure to live in if we make them all identikit places devoid of local businesses. If you want to see what happens when Tesco congregate big retail brands on one of their sites in a market town, take a ride to Shepton Mallet where the life has been sucked out of the town centre.

"The development of the Saxonvale site near the centre of Frome is a great opportunity which will not arise again in our lifetimes and it's an opportunity which should be given to local people."

The Saxonvale development planned by St James Investments includes a supermarket with a footprint of 40,000 square feet, plus a further 40,000 square feet of retail space and 500 car parking spaces.  The Tesco store in Shepton Mallet is of a similar scale to the supermarket planned for the land on Saxonvale.

The meeting next Thursday at Rook Lane Chapel will start at 7.30pm.  Councillors have confirmed they will be in attendance.    

News of a new Co-op foodstore?

This from the Somerset Standard...

"Frome's town centre could well have a small supermarket once again in the next few months – if widespread rumours on a social networking site are to be believed.

"Several Frome people have discussed on Twitter that the Co-operative group is in negotiations with the owners of the Westway Precinct to return to the town just a year after closing its store there.." .more here

Rumours now suggest this is all but confirmed. But where does it leave things in relation to Saxondale? Views please...

Full text of Kevin McCloud's letter in the Standard

It now seems likely that the Saxonvale site in Frome will be sold to St James, a development company which is the agent for Tesco; and it seems unlikely that Tesco would want to develop the site other than for one of their supermarkets.

So how many supermarkets do we need in Frome? And how many Tescos in Somerset? There are already three major Tesco stores and half a dozen Express outlets within a 12-mile radius.

Frome is undergoing a period of great change. It is finding its voice (10 of its councillors were recently elected on an Independent for Frome ticket) and quickly evolving, along with a small and noble band of towns like Brighton and Totnes, into a very 21st century community that places sustainability at its centre.

We should not damage the potential for this exciting change by passively allowing the rebuilding of Frome's core sites by remote and aggressive developers, nor by supermarkets. The supporters of more big retail development say that Frome needs to compete with Trowbridge. But it already is competing, in a unique way, through the growth of dozens of small independent retailers who flourish here, that include the national award-winning Whiterow Farm Shop and the shops of Catherine Hill and Cheap Street.

We will not create distinctive local towns that thrive economically and are a pleasure to live in if we make them all identikit places devoid of local businesses. If you want to see what happens when Tesco congregate big retail brands on one of their sites in a market town, take a ride to Shepton Mallet where the life has been sucked out of the town centre.

In the spirit of local enterprise – which seems to do so well in Frome – we should all be fighting off the likes of Tesco and other big retail, supporting the council, writing to our MP and reminding those in power that big commercial proposals for small towns run counter to the Government's agenda for localism and the Big Society.

The development of the Saxonvale site near the centre of Frome is a great opportunity which will not arise again in our lifetimes and it's an opportunity which should be given to local people.

As Frome changes it is attracting more creative businesses and becoming even more sustainable, more distinctive and more special. We must not allow anyone to damage its wonderful potential.

KEVIN MCCLOUD

Frome

Plans to claim £400k plot of Saxonvale site

From the Somerset Standard:

Frome Town Council wants to ensure a stake in a plot of land at the heart of the town which is at the centre of a controversial redevelopment plan.

The land on the Saxonvale site has gone on the market for £400,000 – and town councillors want to lay their claim to it.

If the town council was able to take possession of the land it would mean that it would have greater influence over the future of the site which is earmarked for major redevelopment, including a supermarket. More here

URGENT - Looks like Tesco is on the move

We understand that over the next few days, the property agent Kings Sturge - acting on behalf of the Notts Industry Pension Fund, owners of a sizeable share of the Saxonvale site - are likely to enter into a contract with one of Tesco's developers, presumably St James Investments.

So... it looks like Tesco is on the move!  

There'll be an urgent meeting at 7.30pm Monday 16th May at the Roundtower, Black Swan Arts, 2 Bridge St BA11 1BB for anyone who wants to actively campaign against a big Tesco. See you there!

What we suggest people should include in their response to Mendip's consultation on their Core Strategy

At the meeting at the Cheese And Grain on Wednesday 23rd, Duncan Skene highlighted the 'Your Mendip' magazine that most of us have received and the form inside asking for responses for the so-called Core Strategy of the Local Development Framework. The deadline for submissions is Thursday March 31st; if you haven't got a form, they should be available in Frome library. We're urging people to press the council to:

·      Specify the maximum size of the foodstore at Saxonvale that is compatible with the current Saxonvale Development Brief and to delete the imprecise wording, “small/medium”. 15,000 square feet should be specified as an absolute maximum.

·      Determine what proportion of the 70,000sq ft non-food retail space relates to Saxonvale and what to the re-developed Westway Precinct. This is not clear in the wording of the Core Strategy.  The Saxonvale Development Brief allocation for non-food retail (40,000 sq ft) should be regarded as an absolute maximum. Over-burdening Saxonvale with non-food retail space would run a real risk of establishing competing town centres and this should be avoided at all costs.

·      Make good the omission of any reference in the Core Strategy to the redevelopment of the Kingsway Precinct, which is appreciably more ‘tired’ than the Westway Precinct and which provides the major town centre link to the Saxonvale site. This appears to be a significant oversight. Any development at Saxonvale should be contingent on improving links to the existing town centre.

·      Be consistent. MDC permitted the expansion of out of town retail provision at Wessex Fields as recently as 2009 (yet to be built). If the main thrust of retail policy henceforth is the re-vitalisation the town centre, the Core Strategy needs to state that further retail expansion elsewhere will not be permitted.

Meeting at the Cheese & Grain, Weds March 23rd

Saxonvale:  the tipping point

The campaign against the large supermarket planned for Frome's town centre will hold another public meeting next Wednesday, March 23rd.

Following the demonstration of its proposed size in Victoria Park last month, the meeting in the Cheese and Grain will provide advice on how the local community can have its say.

"We're at a very critical point. The planning options for the Saxonvale site are now becoming much clearer, so we feel it's important to impart this information and help people to understand what they can do to have their voices heard," commented campaigner John Harris.

The meeting will include a talk from Max Wide, a director of strategic development at BT Government, who was responsible for a major change programme at Suffolk County Council.  He will draw on his experience at government level to advise Frome residents on the steps that can be taken to shape the future of the town.   

The development planned by St James Investments comprises a 40,000 square foot supermarket, plus a further 40,000 square foot of retail space and 500 car parking spaces.

John added:

"As a useful point of comparison, we understand that the ASDA store in Frome is approximately 65,000 square foot in size; M&S is roughly 12,000.  The new Tesco store in Shepton Mallet represents the scale of the supermarket planned for Frome.

"We will keep the length of the meeting short, but hope that people across all viewpoints on this planned development do attend."

The meeting next Wednesday will start at 7.30pm and close by 9.

For updates and more information on the plans for redevelopment site in the centre of Frome visit the blog, saxonvalesupermarket.blogspot.com, join the ‘No more big supermarkets in Frome’ Facebook group, or follow @Saxonvale on Twitter.

Important meeting on Wednesday

This Wednesday 9th March, 9am -8pm in the Cheese and Grain, Mendip District Council is running a consultation on the draft Mendip Core Strategy to 2026.  We encourage you to go along and to press them to change the draft document so that it specifies the maximum size of any foodstore at Saxonvale.

 

At the last public meeting, John Meeker of Mendip District Council highlighted the importance of the forthcoming consultation on the Mendip Core Strategy. That is now upon us. The council’s newssheet ‘Your Mendip’ came through your letter box recently and contains a high level overview of the strategy. The detail is available at the information point in the library and on the Council’s home page www.mendip.gov.uk and online feedback can be provided here http://www.mendip.gov.uk/Documents/Organisational%20Development/LDF%20Consulation%202011/Web%20HTML/draft_core_strategy.htm 

 

This is an important document as it sets the framework for development in the town and its surroundings until 2026. It contains an expectation of a ‘small/medium foodstore’ on Saxonvale. The sense from the last public meeting was that people miss Somerfield in the Westway precinct and would like to see a similar or slightly larger foodstore return to the town centre at Saxonvale or elsewhere. The current M&S is about 12,000sqft or 1,200sqmeters, ASDA about 65,000sqft / 6,500 sqm. We believe that to avoid any misunderstanding, it is necessary to specify what is meant by small/medium ie a foodstore of 10 – 15,000sq ft.

We encourage you to visit the Cheese and Grain on Wednesday  to press home this point to the Council representatives.

The Lark In The Park

Sunday's event in the park was a success, and an object lesson about how big the proposed Saxonvale development will be: huge, frankly, and we didn't add the car park, delivery area etc. We also made it to the ITV regional news, which for one day only can be viewed here (it's at 9:20). Thanks to everyone who came and took part.

Sunday's event in the park - a reminder

Sorry this is a bit late...

The organisers of the recent Saxonvale meetings held in the Cheese and Grain are encouraging people to join them this Sunday, 27^th February, in Victoria Park.  Using people and materials available, the group will map out the true scale of the development planned for the town’s centre – 40,000 square feet.

The ‘HOW BIG?’ demonstration will take place from 3pm in Frome’s Victoria Park at 3pm on Sunday 27^th February.  The group will meet by the bandstand,  and we encourage everyone to join in, regardless of their views about the redevelopment of Saxonvale.

Together with all of those who turn up and want to get involved, the organisers plan to show what 40,000 square foot (4,000 square metres) looks like on the ground.

Following the recent public meetings and online debates, a consensus is developing that a smaller supermarket, as part of a mixed housing, employment and retail development would fit best with the existing Mendip District Council Development Brief for Saxonvale.

For updates and more information on the plans for redevelopment site in the centre of Frome, visit saxonvalesupermarket.blogspot.com, join the ‘No more big supermarkets in Frome’ group on Facebook, or follow @Saxonvale on Twitter.

Meeting report from the Somerset standard

 (from the Standard, 27.1.2011 - read it here)

Residents give their views on redevelopment of Saxonvale

A ten-pin bowling complex, a conference centre, a hotel and new leisure facilities for teenagers were some of the suggestions that people made for what they want at Saxonvale following a public meeting last week.

More than 300 people packed into the Cheese and Grain for the meeting on Wednesday last week to hear Mendip District Council planning officers John Meacher and Les Kimberley explain what the existing planning brief for the mainly disused site consisted of.

The meeting was organised by a group of Frome people whose aim is to make sure that everyone in the town gets a say on what goes on the site.

London-based property agent St James Investment's has taken an acquired option on the Notts Industries site and plans to build a 40,000sqm supermarket with a further 40,000sqm of retail.

Developers Terramond have outline planning permission for the site.

Mr Kimberley explained that the planning brief had been put together in 2005 and that it comprised of all the elements needed to make it a successful regeneration of the area.

He said the purpose of the planning brief was to improve efficiency of the planning process and improve the quality of the development.

It includes criteria such as a need for open spaces and links to the town centre and he explained that what is critical in the brief is the highways element, as there are serious issues with access.

The 29-acre site is split into several areas of ownership by different organisations, including Notts Industries, which owns the largest chunk, Mendip District Council, Terramond Property Agents, based in Bristol, and two private owners.

The Regional Development Agency owned a proportion of the site until recently, but it is believed it has now been sold.

Mr Meacher said that in the planning brief the plan for the site is a mixture of housing, retail and open spaces and that there was no way to stipulate how much of that could be used as a supermarket.

The audience was invited to move into smaller groups and discuss what they wanted on the site and the way forward.

The main feedback given was that people did not wish to see a large supermarket, but there was a desire to have something small or medium-sized.

Other opinions included an ice rink, a ten-pin bowling complex, open spaces, a multi-purpose market square in which markets could be held, and one of the main demands was that it had to be linked to the existing town centre.

Concerns raised included whether St James Investments would carry out a consultation with residents.

One question asked in the workshops was whether Mendip could buy any of the land but Mr Meacher said that was an option in theory but highly unlikely due to the current spending cuts put forward by the Government.

Coordinator Luke Wilde said he was delighted with the turnout and thanked those who attended. He added that another meeting was being planned for the near future.

Another brilliant meeting

Last night's meeting at the Cheese & Grain was notable for many reasons. The turnout was as good as on December 1st, proving that our campaign has real momentum. There was a remarkable level of consensus about what people would accept/like to see on the Saxonvale site, characterised by realism about what the town-centre probably needs, coupled with solid opposition to a supermarket of the size being proposed, and a drive to see improvements in the quality of Frome's public spaces. A full report will follow shortly - for now, thanks for coming!

Poster for Wednesday's meeting

... which, just to illustrate that this runs wider than Tesco, suggests another one of the Big 4.