A response to Mendip District Councils proposals for Social Housing in Frome at Easthill and at North Parade Car Park

Fair Housing for Frome, the community organisation set up to address the housing crisis that lies beneath the surface of the towns seeming prosperity, has issued a statement on the recent social housing proposals:

Fair Housing for Frome is generally supportive of anything that addresses the need for additional Social Housing, but regrets the lack of public consultation in these proposals. There are many better ways to provide affordable housing for Frome, and in particular the decision to perpetuate Mendip's reliance on Aster as a social housing service provider is disappointing, given the opportunity to work closely with Frome Area Community Land Trust (FACLT) to deliver truly affordable housing in perpetuity.

At Easthill, we are also concerned with the choice of a greenfield site in preference to including additional social housing within one of the brownfield sites that are available for development, and in particular do not support the creation of a dedicated social housing community. Our view is that social housing should always be provided as an integrated element of any and all new developments, such as Saxonvale where there is ample opportunity to provide additional social housing.

Further information about the suggested modular housing scheme at North Parade Car Park is needed to ensure that this will really meet the requirements of local people in a well-designed and sustainable way. Frome has vibrant Self Build and Tiny Homes groups and we would expect them to be included in future consultations about this or other such opportunities.

For more information on Fair Housing for Frome go to