THE Mayday Saxonvale group is one step closer to bringing their vision for the Frome town centre site to reality.

The group has met with the council to discuss the next steps after Acorn Property Group announced it would step back from the process, stating “the community does not want to work with Acorn”.

A spokesperson for Mayday Saxonvale said: “We have had an initial positive meeting with Somerset Council.

“We look forward to continuing an open dialogue and moving forward with the sale of the Saxonvale site for our community.

“Community-led development at scale is relatively new, and therefore our aim is that through these discussions the council will fully appreciate the resilience of the model we are putting forward.

“Compared to a conventional developer, we are lower risk. With one project we have only one focus, one which is not leveraged and we have more diverse sources of funding available.

READ MORE: Shock as Acorn WITHDRAWS from Saxonvale development process

READ MORE: Mayday Saxonvale starts talks with Somerset Council over future of the site

“Our aim is to transform Saxonvale as a mixed-use urban regeneration project in a way that puts Frome first at every stage. We are in it for the long term.

“The future impact on Frome is central to all our thinking, and our plan will enhance the future resilience of Frome through community ownership.

“By retaining and reinvesting profits for the benefit of our town, we will generate social, economic, and community wealth to ensure Saxonvale contributes to the health and vitality of Frome and Somerset.”

The Saxonvale site lies in the heart of Frome town centre, bordered by the River Frome to the north, the Merchant’s Barton car park to the west, the existing housing on Vicarage Street to the south and a Lidl store to the east.

Mayday’s plans would see the construction of 263 houses, at least 30% of which will be affordable, along with commercial and community spaces, a lido, a hotel, and a spa.

To view Mayday’s plans in full, visit their website.