Councillors Call for Transparency and Community Access in Packsaddle Fields Dispute

Press Release

Somerset Conservative councillors have formally written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed MP, raising serious concerns about the ongoing situation surrounding Packsaddle Fields in Frome.

The intervention follows a series of decisions regarding the proposed development of the fields. The planning application was not approved by the Planning East Committee and was subsequently dismissed at appeal. Despite this, the Secretary of State has indicated a willingness to defend the decision to build on the site.

At the same time, Somerset Council has entered into an agreement with LiveWest, which requires planning permission to be secured for the development. However, before any such permission has been granted, fencing has been erected around the fields, preventing access for local residents.

For more than 50 years, Packsaddle Fields have been used by the community as an open and valued green space. The current restrictions have caused significant concern among residents and campaigners, including the group People for Packsaddle.

Local councillors have been actively engaging with the community and have met directly with representatives from People for Packsaddle. The group has also raised the issue formally through a question at the Climate and Place Scrutiny Committee.

In response, Conservative councillors have requested that the matter be brought forward as a full agenda item at a scrutiny committee. The aim is to ensure transparency around how and why decisions have been made, and to allow the public to better understand the process.

With ongoing changes to scrutiny committee structures, councillors are currently awaiting confirmation of which committee will take up the issue.

Councillors have reiterated their full support for the local community. They are calling both for the protection of Packsaddle Fields and, crucially, for the immediate reopening of the land to public use while no planning permission is in place.

Conservative Cllr Dawn Denton said:

“We fully support the community in their efforts to protect Packsaddle Fields. These fields have been part of local life for decades, and it is deeply concerning that access has been removed before any planning permission has been granted.

We believe there must be full transparency about how these decisions have been made. That is why we have requested formal scrutiny, so residents can understand the process and have their voices heard.

At the very least, the fields should be reopened to the community while the planning situation remains unresolved."