On the 31st of July 2024, Somerset Council’s Executive will hold a public meeting at Frome Town Hall. At that meeting they will publicly announce who will be chosen to develop Saxonvale, a 12-acre Brownfield mixed-used site in the heart of Frome.

The choice is between Acorn Property Group, a residential developer, and Mayday Saxonvale a community-led not-for-profit social enterprise, with a model of community ownership and value retention.

Mayday’s scheme is well supported in the town, and its model could be an archetype for a new, perhaps better way of doing development. But, with a local authority on its knees financially, and rumours of secret contracts and closed-door deals, is that enough?

For the past six months, I’ve been conducting interviews and researching what could be called the Saxonvale saga, a story that’s far from having an ending.

Why has this brownfield site garnered such strong local feeling, made national news and why do many think that Somerset Council’s decision will heavily influence the future of the town for the decades to come?

Links

https://maydaysaxonvale.co.uk/

https://www.saxonvaleredevelopment.org/

Produced, presented and written by Samuel Saunders. A Straw Dogs Media Production.

Music by Kjartan Abel

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Somerset Council's Executive held a meeting at Frome Town Hall on Wednesday July 31st. The purpose of the meeting was to decide who to sell the Saxonvale brownfield site to: Acorn Property Group, a traditional residential developer, or Mayday Saxonvale, a not-for-profit community led group.

The Executive's decision made national news, but then came a shock announcement.

This episode takes a look at that meeting on July 31st, and the aftermath of the decision and what it means for the Saxonvale site.

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Daniel Mumby - https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/authors/daniel-mumby/ | https://www.bbc.com/lnp/ldrs

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Produced, presented and written by Samuel Saunders. A Straw Dogs Media Production.

Music by Kjartan Abel

Additional material by Freddie Rostand / https://www.rostand.co.uk/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this short bonus episode, I talk to journalist Daniel Mumby about Rachel Reeve's budget, specifically the funding for Local Authorities, and Somerset Council's financial position.

Daniel Mumby also discusses Somerset's phosphates crisis which is affecting development in the county.

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Find Daniel Mumby on twitter - https://x.com/DanielMumby

https://www.somersetlive.co.uk/authors/daniel-mumby/

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Follow Samuel here - https://x.com/samuelasaunders

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.