Nearly 200 new homes will be built near a McDonald's in Somerset after councillors voted to approve amended plans.

Silverwood (Ditcheat) Ltd. successfully obtained outline planning permission in July 2020 to build 235 homes and commercial units either side of Sandys Hill Lane in Frome.

Curo Enterprise Ltd. put forward amended plans for the housing element of the site in August 2021, reducing the number of properties to 198.

Mendip District Council's planning board gave its backing to these amended proposals when it met in Shepton Mallet on Wednesday evening (February 16).

The properties will be divided either side of Sandys Hill Lane, and will range from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom houses to reflect local demand.

The homes will be built to the east of the commercial element of the site, which will be constructed near the existing McDonald's restaurant and Sainsbury's supermarket, and which will be handled by a separate application.

A new access road will be created to serve both housing areas, with the existing Sandys Hill Lane being restricted to pedestrians and emergency vehicles (though the existing homes on Little Keyford Lane will also be able to use it for access).

Thom Brill, who lives on Little Keyford Lane, questioned whether these new access arrangements would be sufficient.

He said: "We have not been provided with anywhere for emergency vehicles, refuse or delivery vehicles to turn – which they currently do with the Keyford Farmhouse track.

"The developers have failed to apprehend the gravity of flooding around the present site. These areas regularly suffer extensive flooding due to the streams and drainage channels under this area."

Peter Roberts, Curo's senior planning manager, responded that the plans had been "shaped by significant engagement with locals", including the retention of the farmhouse and neighbouring barns.

He added: "We are taking sustainability seriously, and proposing homes which are built to a high standard.

"We are willing to undertake provision for a turning head, which will be better than the current situation."

The site is one of several allocated for future development within the council's Local Plan Part II, which was formally ratified in December 2021.

On the same evening (February 16), councillors voted to approve plans for 249 homes either side of the B3092 The Mount – with the prospect of a further 70 homes to the north (near Little Keyford Lane) being granted in the future.

A smaller portion of land, on the northern side of Little Keyford Lane, is earmaked for 20 houses until the Local Plan Part II – and could be brought forward as part of the wider plans for the Selwood Garden Community of up to 1,700 homes.

Aside from these allocated sites, a further 180 homes could end up being constructed to the west of Marston Lane following initial inquiries by Gleeson Strategic Land Ltd. – though no formal plans have yet been submitted.

Councillor Shane Collins – who represents the neighbouring Frome Keyford ward – gave guarded praise to the proposals.

He said: "It's good to see Curo bringing on solar panels and heat pumps, each in some of the houses. However, combining the two gets us much closer to net zero.

"It's a sort of island in there, with the only access being past McDonald's – which, as I think we know, on Saturday mornings is going to be very busy.

"I really like the idea that the barn is staying, but I would suggest that it be looked on as a community hub. There's nothing for the community there."

Councillor Richard Pinnock (whose Frome Park ward contained the northern half of the site) added: "My comments about this development have never been a flat 'no'.

"This is a missed opportunity to make a feature out of the historic buildings within a 21st-century development. Can the developers think again on this point?

"We should value our heritage. I don't want us to regret not pushing the point that the heritage assets should be at the heart of this proposal.

"We must not create a situation where people drive out of their home to go shopping at the supermarket over the road or to the Co-op at Culver Hill. Embedding walking and cycling into the scheme now is important to how these new homes integrate with Frome."

Councillor Francis Hayden – who voted against the outline plans – described the new access arrangement as "ridiculous".

He elaborated: "I don't see how they [Curo] are going to construct it, let alone [have people] live in it – and I can't see that anybody is going to want to use the commercial strips along there. I don't see how they're viable in any way.

"The noise of the existing commercial developments along there are already above what's allowable without an acoustic barrier.

"In five years' time, my fear is that people will be throwing up their hands and saying: 'how did people who were supposed to know what they were doing end up with this mess?'.

"It looks beautiful in the picture, but I don't see how it will work."

After around an hour's debate, the committee voted to approve the plans by nine votes to one, with one abstention.

Curo representatives indicated in August 2021 that the company intended to begin construction on the new homes in early-2022, with the site being built out steadily over a five-year period.

A separate application for the commercial element of the site is expected to come forward later in the year.