Saxonvale shock as £1m community bid loses out

Somerset Council is preparing to sell one of Frome’s most important development sites to an undisclosed preferred bidder after the community-led Mayday Saxonvale scheme was unsuccessful.

The decision marks a major turning point in the long-running battle over the future of the 12-acre former industrial site in the heart of Frome and has prompted an angry reaction from some supporters of the Mayday scheme.

It comes despite Mayday attracting substantial financial backing from the community. Its fundraising campaign had reached £960,360 from 1,124 supporters, passing its initial target and reaching 80 per cent of its £1.2 million stretch target.

At the time of its latest update, the campaign was less than £40,000 away from raising £1 million.

Mayday broke the news to supporters with a stark announcement: “We have not been selected as the preferred bidder.”

A report to Somerset Council’s Executive recommends that councillors formally approve another preferred bidder and authorise officers to complete the disposal of Saxonvale.

But there is one crucial piece of information Frome does not yet have: who the preferred bidder is.

The identity of the bidder, along with the financial and commercial details behind the recommendation, is contained in confidential appendices and has not been made public.

A long battle for Saxonvale

The latest development follows years of uncertainty over a site which has remained largely derelict for decades.

Mayday Saxonvale has spent five years developing an alternative, community-led vision for the site, proposing a mixed-use development incorporating homes, affordable housing, employment, commercial and community space and significant public areas.

The ambition was not simply to develop Saxonvale, but to create a model in which the community would have a long-term stake in its future.

And for a time, it appeared Mayday had succeeded.

In January 2025, Somerset Council’s Executive resolved to pursue the sale of Saxonvale to Mayday Saxonvale Development Limited, with the aim of completing an unconditional sale by the end of March.

The sale was not completed.

In October 2025, the council formally withdrew Mayday’s exclusivity and decided to prepare Saxonvale for an open-market sale.

According to the latest council report, there was then a short delay in launching the marketing campaign to allow Mayday to progress its proposed community fundraising share offer.

The council says Mayday did not provide information it had requested within the required timeframe to allow it to assess the implications of the proposal.

The open-market process therefore went ahead.

Eight bids, one winner

When Saxonvale went back on the open market in May, there was no shortage of interest.

Forty-one organisations registered and eight formal bids were submitted by the July deadline.

All eight bidders were questioned about their proposals before submitting their final offers.

Somerset Council says the decision was about more than simply who offered the most money. Bidders were also assessed on their funding, experience, track record and their ability to deliver a mixed-use regeneration of Saxonvale.

The council has now chosen its preferred bidder.

But who that bidder is, how much they have offered and exactly what they have planned for Saxonvale remain confidential.

July fire at Saxonvale

The bidding process also took place against the backdrop of a major fire at Saxonvale in July, bringing the derelict site back into the spotlight at a crucial point in the sale process.

The blaze caused extensive damage and prompted a large emergency response.

The council has specifically addressed the fire in its latest report, stating that “the recent fire at the site has had no material impact on the bidding process.”

The deadline for bids was July 13, with the final stages of the selection process taking place later that month.

There is nothing in the council report to suggest any connection between the fire and the outcome of the bidding process.

Anger among Mayday supporters

News that Mayday had not been selected prompted a strong reaction on its social media pages.

“This is disgusting,” wrote one commenter.

Another told Somerset Council: “You had a chance to do the right thing but chose not to.”

Others questioned why the preferred bidder had not been identified and expressed concern about what an alternative development could ultimately mean for the town.

One supporter accused the council of ignoring what they described as the “overwhelming voice” supporting Mayday’s plans, highlighting its proposed homes, shops, art centre and outdoor space.

The comments represent the views of individual social media users rather than a measure of opinion across Frome, but they demonstrate the strength of feeling among some Mayday supporters following the announcement.

And the scale of Mayday’s fundraising is striking.

With £960,360 pledged by 1,124 supporters, the community campaign had come tantalisingly close to the symbolic £1 million mark.

What happens now?

The council’s Executive is being asked to approve the preferred bidder and give senior officers authority to complete the sale.

Until further details are made public, however, some of the biggest questions about Saxonvale remain unanswered.

Frome does not yet know who is poised to buy the site, how much they have offered or precisely what they propose to build there.

The council report describes the objective as the “mixed-use regeneration” of Saxonvale, but the detailed commercial assessment of the preferred bid remains confidential.

There will also be questions about what happens to the money pledged by more than 1,100 people to Mayday’s campaign and what options, if any, remain open to the organisation.

For Mayday and its supporters, the recommendation is a significant setback after five years spent developing its plans, building support and raising almost £1 million towards a community-led future for Saxonvale.

It follows an extraordinary few months for the site, from the July fire to a competitive sale process which attracted eight bids.

For Frome, attention now turns to the identity of the preferred bidder and, perhaps more importantly, what it intends to do with one of the most significant development sites in the town.

After decades of debate about Saxonvale, another chapter is about to begin. For now, much of it remains behind closed doors.

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Written by Daisy Steel

Journalist, columnist and podcaster

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