PERMISSION has been granted to build 18 new low-cost homes on an underused Somerset car park after three years of delays.

The North Parade car park, located off North Hill Mews in Frome, was identified by Mendip District Council as a site for potential social housing back in November 2020. It provides around 90 spaces in the centre of Frome but was underutilised.

The council, and its unitary successor, Somerset Council have subsequently been working with the Stonewater housing association on proposals to build on the site, securing a land swap with the neighbouring Farleigh Further Education College in mid-2021.

Stonewater, one of the UK’s largest social housing providers, formally applied in May 2023 for permission to build 18 low-cost, low-carbon homes on the car park, comprising nine flats and nine houses.

Somerset Council has now granted permission for the scheme nearly three years on, meaning construction could get under way by late summer.

The car park lies to the north of the railway line running through Frome, within walking distances of both Rodden Meadow and the Saxonvale regeneration site, which Somerset Council is about to put on the open market.

Allocated for development within the revised Mendip Local Plan Part II, the brownfield site was formally adopted by Somerset councillors in September 2025.

The car park is currently accessed from a one-way system which links North Hill Mews to the B3090 Fromefield Road. Under the proposals, the current exit road will be closed off to motor vehicles, with the entrance from North Hill Mews being widened with improved visibility.

The 18 properties will be divided between one-bedroom flats and two-bedroom houses, with each home being offered at social or affordable rent, and a total of 38 parking spaces will be kept from the existing car park, including two disabled spaces, with 28 new cycle places being created alongside.

A spokesman for Agile Planning, representing the developer, said: “The proposal ensures the retention and enhancement of existing trees on site. It complements the surrounding heritage assets, enhances access to and from Millennium Green, and improves access and road safety.

“It maintains some public parking spaces on site, sufficient to meet demand, and it provides sufficient parking spaces, all with EV charging, for residents, given proximity of proposed homes to the town centre. The proposal will provide future residents with high-quality homes with a high level of amenity, providing quiet, healthy, safe places to live.”

Stonewater is currently in the closing stages of constructing 24 homes on Cherry Grove built to the Passivhaus standard at the southern edge of Frome, near the Marston Trading Estate. Passivhaus homes are renowned for their energy efficiency, reducing heating costs by up to 90 percent.

The North Parade plans were approved by the council’s planning officers through their delegated powers rather than a public decision by its planning committee east which handles major applications within the former Mendip area.

Construction on these new homes is expected to begin within the next six months.