Up to 1,700 new homes could be built in Frome by 2036 if ambitious new plans are approved.

Outline plans for the Selwood Garden Community (SGC) have been put forward, which would see green fields between the A361 and the town's southern edge transformed into a substantial new community.

Land Value Alliances, acting on behalf of the SGC landowners consortium, has promised the development will also deliver new employment sites, a primary school and other facilities for the new community and existing residents.

But campaigners have argued the loss of green space will not solve Frome's housing crisis and will have a huge negative environmental impact.

Outline plans for the new development have now been submitted to Mendip District Council following a public consultation in late-2020.

Here are ten things which will be delivered if the plans are approved:

1,700 homes over a 15-year period: the SGC will provide a mixture of market and affordable housing, with the developers seeking to meet the council's target of 30 per cent of new homes being affordable (the equivalent of 510 properties). If approval is granted, an average of 131 new homes being delivered each year up to 2036 in up to eight different phases, with the dwellings range from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom houses and nearly 100 self-build plots. The first phase will centre around a new access road from the B3090 Marston Road and will consist of 386 new homes

12 hectares of employment land: the employment aspects of the development will be split across two sites – one on the southern side of the A361 (delivered by 2030) and one near the existing roundabout with the B3092 (built out by late-2035). The new units will be delivered gradually, based on the existing demand for units at the Commerce Park on the town's eastern edge

New shops, restaurants and amenities: like the Monkton Heathfield urban extension on the north-eastern side of Taunton, the SGC site will incorporate a "local centre" with vital amenities and community space, making it "an active and vibrant place throughout the day and evening. The local centre will include offices or similar workspaces, shops, cafes and restaurants, a dentist and a community hub

Two care homes or similar facilities: to provide accommodation for older residents, the site will include both a traditional care home, providing around 60 beds, and a block of at least 40 assisted living flats or extra care units near the centre of the site. This will enable people to receive high-quality care while still being embedded within the community and being able to access local facilities without having to drive

A new primary school: a new school for up to 420 pupils will be delivered near the "local centre", with post-16 study facilities being provided on the same site. The school will be delivered by Somerset County Council as the demand for places dictates, with the developers estimating it will be needed by 2026. A further site for either a secondary school or "through school" (providing both primary and secondary education) has been earmarked on Feltham Lane, but this does not form part of the formal application

New playing pitches and leisure facilities: the plans identify three new playing fields between the new primary school and the River Frome, with two being available for wider community use by 2027. A large number of parks will also be provided across the site for community leisure, as well as allotments and two community orchards

Wetlands near the River Frome: at the site's south-eastern corner, between the river and the second employment hub, the green space will be transformed into a country park, with wetlands and a visitors centre all being in place from the mid-2020s. Separate, smaller areas of wetland will also be provided across the site to encourage wildlife and biodiversity

A solar farm to the east: two large sections of green space near the railway line at the site's eastern edge will be covered with solar panels, providing power to both the new homes and existing Frome residents. The fine details of the solar farm, including the length of its operational life, will be laid out in a separate application to the council in the coming weeks

Improvements to the A361 and nearby roads: the new development will have two new access roads, both of which will require the construction of new roundabouts on existing main roads. In addition to the Marston Road access, a new road will be built to link the new homes directly to the A361. The road will originally stretch to the local centre, with this stretch being in place by 2027 – but it will eventually link up with the existing Marston Trading Estate near the town's recycling centre

Walking and cycling improvements: to promote sustainable forms of transport, new footpaths and cycle paths will be created across the site – including a new active travel route to connect the development with the town centre and Frome railway station. Several existing roads, like Birchill Lane, Little Keyford Lane and Vinney Lane, will be turned into "greenways", restricting car use in the area and providing a better quality of life for residents

A spokesman for the developer said: "We believe that these illustrative proposals are the best way for Frome to expand to meet the housing needs of the local population and will deliver an ambitious vision.

"It will provide an innovative and sustainable community, integrated with both the town and the countryside, provide intimate neighbourhoods, community facilities and employment spaces set in the distinctive countryside of the River Frome valley. and help Frome's wider transition to a low-carbon economy in line with the town council's One Planet Living Agenda."

Frome's southern edge has been subject to numerous development attempts in the last 18 months.

The council's planning board approved plans for up to 235 homes and commercial units either side of Sandys Hill Lane (near the town's McDonald's restaurant) in July 2020.

These proposals have now been slightly amended to 198 homes, with developer Curo opting to increase the green space provided within the site and protect existing heritage assets.

The board recently voted to defer a decision on three sites within the Little Keyford area (delivering up to 318 homes between them) for six months due to concerns about the developers' "inadequate" masterplan.

Stop SGC, a campaign group which is lobbying against the eponymous development, has warned that the "cavalier" proposals will have a huge negative impact on the town.

A spokesman said: "We find it especially concerning the claims that the build will 'assist Frome Town Council in meeting objectives aimed at addressing the declared climate change emergency', when simply not building 1,700 houses on a greenfield site would be far more beneficial in achieving this end.

"We also reject the suggestion that a build of this magnitude is necessary to

forever."

Mendip District Council is expected to make a decision on the SGC plans at some point in the next six months.