Mayday Saxonvale

by Damon Moore

Mayday Saxonvale

by Damon Moore

Damon Moore

Case Owner

Damon Moore is a director of the Silk Mill offering affordable studios for artists and the applied arts. Mayday Saxonvale seeks to foster a scheme in the public interest which future-proofs the site.

Funded

on 18th November 2019

£7,500

pledged of £50,000 stretch target from 64 pledges

Damon Moore

Case Owner

Damon Moore is a director of the Silk Mill offering affordable studios for artists and the applied arts. Mayday Saxonvale seeks to foster a scheme in the public interest which future-proofs the site.

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New Case Page: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/may-sax/

Our Aims

To begin our legal challenge against Mendip District Council for breach of public procurement legislation
To continue our campaign for full disclosure of the developer's agreement
To stop Saxonvale being turned into a giant housing estate
To replace the Nash scheme with a new plan based upon community-led, sustainable architecture, well-living and place-making principles
To safeguard Frome's entrepreneurial vibe and independent retail sector
To defend the Merchant's Barton from demolition
To put in place protections for the listed building cluster and the Silk Mill

Our first Mayday Saxonvale campaign in October raised fundamental questions about Acorn's Saxonvale development but the District Council are still withholding important information in the public interest.

No-one wants to stop or hold up the regeneration of Saxonvale but such an important development in the public sector MUST be shown to have a proper legal foundation. Our campaign will carry on until we have the answers

What Do We Know?

The Nash Partnership scheme breaches the Local Plan and the three golden threads of the Neighbourhood Plan, Vitality, Participation, Sustainability.
The bidding round to buy the site and the contract with Acorn was done in complete secrecy.
Evidence reviewed by legal experts has concluded Mendip District Council may well have acted illegally in the appointment of these developers.
At least 8 out of Frome's 11 District Councillors have signed non-disclosure agreements and cannot speak out in public about Acorn's agreement.
Other Councillors and Officers have signed the Non-Disclosure Agreement but we do not know how many.
The developer's contract has never been disclosed and is one of the most protected documents in the District Council.

During our first campaign, we agreed to hold meetings with both Mendip District Council AND Frome Town Council. Nothing has changed because our politicians are not at liberty to speak out. They are unwilling to rock the boat and ask questions that should be asked.

Does Frome want Saxonvale to be developed AT ALL COSTS even if laws protecting the public interest have been broken?

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR CAMPAIGN FOR FULL DISCLOSURE OF THE DEVELOPER'S AGREEMENT AND A SUSTAINABLE PLAN FOR SAXONVALE!

Find out more:

Mayday Saxonvale on Facebook

SilkMillinFrome on Instagram

Silk Mill on Twitter

Get updates about this case

Recent contributions

Roger pledged £25

Match Roger's pledge of £25

What a crude and ill considered plan, lacking aesthetic or cultural understanding of the town.
Elizabeth pledged £10

Match Elizabeth's pledge of £10

Horrified to see this soulless plan for an ancient town. The 21st century will go down as thoughtless, money-grubbing and devoid of aesthetic awareness if it goes forward.
Callum pledged £25

Match Callum's pledge of £25

Keep up the good work. For the council and developers to push this through without full transparency is a scandal.

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Update 4

Damon Moore

Jan. 30, 2020

Alternative Futures Film

Click the image below to see a short film about a meeting to talk through ways that Saxonvale could and should be developed for the 21st century.

Update 3

Damon Moore

Jan. 24, 2020

More Evidence for the Mayday Legal Case

Evidence has emerged confirming that the District Council have paid substantially over the established Market Value for purchasing the Town Council site in the north-east corner of the Saxonvale site. The contract of sale also manipulates the National Compliance figure for Affordable Housing in developments exceeding ten new homes down to 20% in what appears to be an incentive for the Town Council to support Acorn’s application.

In the Affordable Housing and Development Contributions Viability Study for Mendip District Council, Oct 2012 p8, (25) reads: 'Our resulting focus is around a headline of 30% affordable housing, as a target level for the majority of sites within the District'.

Misuse of public funds falls under general litigation for which the time limit is six years, (unlike a judicial review). Shoosmiths are now drawing up a letter of claim against both Councils and we are awaiting a decision on the Developer’s Contract from the Independent Commissioner’s Office, (ICO) in regard to the Judicial Review.

We don’t yet know if it is possible for Acorn’s scheme to be built against a background of illegality but as more evidence surfaces as to what really has been going on, the worse will be the effect on Frome’s trust in their political representatives. Further updates soon!

Update 2

Damon Moore

Nov. 20, 2019

The case begins...!

Thanks to all our wonderful supporters, we have now passed the important initial target set at £5,000 which means our legal team can begin the case. They will seek specialist QC advice before sending out the pre-protocol letter which is the first stage of the judicial review process. The Mayday campaign will now remain on the CrowdJustice site until the stretch target is reached and refresh every 30 days. We are planning an exciting fundraising event soon - details to be announced!

Update 1

Damon Moore

Nov. 14, 2019