People For Packsaddle has been made aware of a decision by Somerset Council to remove public access to the permissive path and to fence off the public footpath in Packsaddle Community Fields. This action has been proposed by the Council in order to “use reasonable endeavours to assist the developer in obtaining planning permission and in the developer pursuing any appeal”.
People For Packsaddlee deem this decision to be cruel, immoral and indefensible. Somerset Council purports to “put all the people of Somerset at the heart of everything we do”, yet it prioritises the bullying demands of a developer ahead of the welfare of local people and the decision of a Planning Inspector and Government Legal Department. From the perspective of our community, it appears that whenever LiveWest say “jump” the Council says “how high?” Residents are rightly furious, upset and disgusted. They deserve better.
The Somerset Council statement indicates Packsaddle Community Fields has been set aside for development since 1973, without clarifying that until relatively recently it was expected it would be used as a site for a new school. It also states the original LiveWest planning application was submitted in 2024, when in fact it was 2023. And whilst the statement indicates the application was ‘recommended for approval’ by a Planning Officer, it fails to note that the Council then stated at the Planning Inquiry this was an error and the Planning Officer was wrong to recommend approval.
People for Packsaddle is baffled by the Council’s justification for this latest action, and particularly by the comments made by Councillor Mike Rigby. The position he sets out on behalf of the Council is inconsistent with previous decisions made by the Council itself. Firstly, he states that the Council “must balance the wishes of local people against housing needs”. This is precisely the function of the Council’s Planning East Committee, which considered and rejected the LiveWest Planning Application in January 2025, deciding that the harms of the proposed development “significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits”.
The decision by the Planning East Committee was followed by a Planning Appeal in August 2025. The Planning Inspector, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, listened to 4 days of evidence and came to exactly the same conclusion: that the harms of the proposed development “significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits”.
Just last week, Somerset Council’s Head of Legal Services also said, “We will give full support to the Secretary of State and maintain the Council’s position as set out in the appeal decision.”
In the Somerset Council statement,Councillor Rigby also states that “it’s clear that there is a compelling case for the developer to challenge the appeal”. Councillor Rigby was somehow unaware that, on the very same day as the Council issued their statement (3rd November), the Government Legal Department (GLN) issued a legal response to LiveWest’s ‘Pre Action Letter’, stating very clearly that the Inspector’s decision was correct. The GLN closed by saying that it ““considers the claim to be unarguable. Should proceedings be issued, the Secretary of State will oppose the claim and seek its costs.”
The Council’s statement asserts that it “is required to use reasonable endeavours to assist the developer in obtaining planning permission”. People for Packsaddle is aware of this clause in the original option agreement between the Council and LiveWest, but to describe this pernicious and punitive action as “reasonable” is deplorable and cowardly. The Council is acting with too much haste and too little care.
People For Packsaddle would like to invite Councillor Rigby to visit Packsaddle Community Fields and to speak with local residents. We feel he would benefit from such a visit, and would leave with a fuller appreciation for the facts and the proven value of this amazing designated Green Space.
It is clear from evidence provided by local people at the Planning Inquiry regarding their unchallenged use of the fields over a period of 50 years, from the planning decisions made about the fields, and from their designation as an Asset of Community Value, that this is a valuable open space in this part of Frome. The evidence given at the planning inquiry by members of the community demonstrated time and again that these fields are at the heart of our community, supporting mental and physical health as well as community connection.
People For Packsaddle urges Councillor Rigby and Somerset Council to reconsider this absurd decision, and to stand-up for our community.
Since receiving the Somerset Council statement, People For Packsaddle has been in liaison with local Councillors Adam Boydon and Dawn Denton and local MP Anna Sabine.
This morning (4th November) Adam Boydon stated, “When I was told the council was going to fence off and close Packsaddle Fields to the public, I was appalled and objected strongly, as reducing the community’s access to green space would be very harmful to the community I serve as a Lib Dem councillor.”
“After further discussions with the Executive portfolio holder Councillor Rigby, and Anna Sabine MP, Councillor Rigby has agreed to instruct officers to not take any action to fence off the site, pending further consideration of the Government legal team’s response to LiveWest’s pre-action letter (which announced their intention to challenge the refusal of their planning application at inquiry through Judicial Review) and any response to that by LiveWest, and in consultation with me as local councillor. So I am grateful for that and the support of Anna Sabine MP. As always, I will be working to try and secure a positive result here for the community.”
People For Packsaddle is grateful for the support of local Councillors and our MP and now awaits further update from Somerset Council as to their position on this going forward.
