SOS
Save Oldford & Stonebridge

Clear, independent information about the proposed Oldford Hill housing development and its potential impact on Oldford, Stonebridge and surrounding areas.

Two years ago, Somerset County Council concluded that Oldford Hill was unsuitable for a new housing development. So what's changed? Why now?

News Updates

24/02/2026 - An application has been sumitted to the Somerset East Planning Dept for the expansion of The Pines Gypsy site to increase the pitches to 35; each one being allowed one tourer caravan, one mobile home, one outbuilding and two vehicle parking spaces. With the proposed closure of Gypsy Lane this could pose issues with access to the Gypsy site. Application reference 2025/2285/FUL23/02/2026 - Due to councillor availability, and to ensure proper consideration, an extraordinary meeting has been arranged. Please note that this application will NOT now be on the agenda for the meeting on Thursday 12 March, but will instead be discussed on Thursday 19th March, 7 pm at Frome Town Hall (Council Chamber).02/02/2026 - Barwood Land have now submitted their planning application to Somerset County Council.

What’s being proposed

A new housing development has been proposed by a "land promoter" company called Barwood Land for the land on Oldford Hill, close to the boundary between Oldford, Stonebridge, and surrounding rural areas of Frome.Based on publicly available information, the proposal includes 360 new homes, with vehicle access expected to connect to existing local roads serving nearby communities.Official transport information (based on standard TRICS traffic-generation data) forecasts around 2,500 additional vehicle movements per day, which residents are concerned could add to pressure on roads and local infrastructure.The proposals also include changes to road layouts on Stonebridge Drive, Beaconsfield Road, and Rodden Road, including:• Road narrowing
• Removal of central lane markings
• Raised pavements across cul-de-sacs
• 20 mph zones (with priority to cyclists)While some details are available, residents have noted that clear, accessible explanations of the scale of the development, its access arrangements, and its wider implications have not yet been easy to find in one place.

The land between Oldford and Stonebridge

The land involved is currently open farmland and forms part of the visible and accessible landscape between Oldford and Stonebridge. In several places, it is visible from nearby homes, footpaths, and everyday routes through the area.While the land itself is privately owned and not publicly accessible, it remains a prominent part of the local setting. Its openness, proximity, and visibility contribute to residents’ everyday experience of the area, including the presence of green space and the sense of openness between neighbourhoods.Understanding the location and everyday presence of this land helps place the proposed development, and the issues of concern, in full local context.

📍Aerial view showing the location of the proposed development site in relation to Oldford and Stonebridge

Aerial view showing the location of the proposed Oldford Hill housing development between Oldford and Stonebridge, Frome

The video below shows a bird's eye view of the development site leading from Oldford up to Gypsy Lane. The principal development areas are the three dark green fields in the middle ground, along with the light green fields to the right. The road on the right, is Oldford Hill, where the two principal site access points will be situated. In the background is the Stonebridge state, bordered by Gypsy Lane, which will be closed off thereby diverting all traffic currently using the lane through the new estate.

Why people are concerned

Two years ago, Somerset County Council’s own site assessment identified this area as unsuitable for residential development. The current proposal therefore raises a straightforward question for local residents: what has changed since that assessment, and how have the factors that informed it been re-evaluated?Residents in Oldford, Stonebridge, and surrounding areas of Frome have raised questions about how the proposed development may affect everyday life, based on the information currently available in public planning documents.These questions focus in particular on traffic levels, accessibility, and road safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians, especially at peak times and at known pinch-points on local roads.These concerns are not about opposing new homes in principle. Rather, they relate to whether the scale of the development, its access arrangements, and its cumulative impact on local roads, infrastructure, the local environment, and drainage have been clearly explained and adequately assessed.Residents have also raised questions about the potential impact on the site’s watercourse, and whether increased surface water run-off could increase flood risk during periods of heavy rainfall, especially for existing homes in the Oldford Hill area.There have also been questions asked about whether the proposal will deliver meaningful levels of genuinely affordable or social housing, and how this aligns with identified local housing needs.While a range of issues have been noted, traffic and road safety are the impacts that many residents experience most directly in their day-to-day lives, particularly in Stonebridge. For many people, these are not abstract concerns; they affect daily routines, school runs, emergency access, and the overall safety and liveability of local streets.Residents have also noted that relevant information is currently spread across multiple planning documents and technical reports, making it difficult to understand the full picture without specialist knowledge.

Cumulative impact and wider context

Residents have also raised questions about how this proposal should be understood in the wider context of other housing developments in and around Frome.In particular, there is concern about whether the combined impact of multiple developments across Frome — on traffic, road safety, public services, and local infrastructure — has been fully assessed within the planning process, rather than each proposal being considered in isolation.People are seeking clearer explanations of how cumulative effects are evaluated within the planning process, how existing pressures are taken into account, and whether additional growth could place disproportionate strain on roads and services that already experience congestion at peak times.

Sources and transparency

The information shared on this site is drawn from publicly available planning documents, local authority material, and statements made in relation to the proposed Oldford Hill development.The intention is not to reinterpret or editorialise technical material, but to make it easier to find, understand, and place within a local context.

Register for updates and guidance on submitting responses

The link below (in green) is to register Comments and Objections for the Oldford Hill Development.
These must be submitted by 2nd March 2026.

When accessing the link below use this Application Reference in the search box:

2026/0216/OUT

Somerset online planning portal

Please note: Some residents are reporting site security issues when attempting to access this link.
Please advise us if you also experience the same issue by sending us a brief message via the email address at the bottom of this page.

Guidence & sample letters to download. Letters are a guide only and can be amended to suit your preferences:

Whilst online submission via the Somerset Council Planning website is their preference, written objections can be sent to: Planning - East Team, Somerset Council, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5BTPlease remember to quote the reference number!

Register your details below. This will help to demonstrate the level of local concern to the developer and decision-makers, while allowing residents to stay informed as new information becomes available.Your details are used only to understand the level and distribution of local concern and to send updates (if option selected) and will not be shared publicly.Submitting an individual response is one of the formal ways residents can ensure their views are considered within the planning process.

Privacy note:
Your email will only be used to send updates about this issue or to respond to messages you send us.
Your postcode (if provided) is used only to understand the local distribution of concern.

This site will be updated as new publicly available information becomes available.
Thank you for taking the time to understand the issues and stay informed.

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This site is maintained by local residents from Oldford, Stonebridge, and surrounding areas, to provide clear, accessible information about the proposed Oldford Hill development.The intention is to support understanding, transparency, and informed participation as the planning process continues.We collect only the personal information you choose to provide, such as your email address and, if you wish, your postcode. This information is used solely to share updates about this issue or to respond directly to messages you send us.The lawful basis for processing this information is your consent, which you may withdraw at any time. Personal information is not shared, sold, or published.Contact details are kept only for as long as they are needed to support the purpose of this site, and are securely deleted when no longer required or upon request.You have the right to request access to your personal information, to ask for it to be corrected or deleted, and to withdraw your consent at any time.The data controller for this site is the local residents group responsible for Save Oldford & Stonebridge.For general enquiries, to share relevant information, or to request access to or removal of your details, you can contact the group at: [email protected]Messages are handled by volunteers, and responses may take a little time.