Friends of Easthill Field is a group dedicated to preserve and fight for the continued existence of Easthill Field as a nature rich haven adjacent to Frome’s Easthill Cemetery. It has been designated by Natural England as rare BAP* Priority Habitat Wood Pasture and Parkland.

Mendip District Council have earmarked Easthill Field for housing development.

Following a campaign by Friends of Easthill Field the council have declared a genuine pause in their plans for development at Easthill pending further investigation and reports.

We need to turn the pause into a full stop. 

Easthill Field’s complex, interconnected habitats require thorough, appropriate ecological surveys conducted at and throughout the appropriate times of year. A full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) would be best practice.

The Woodland Trust urge Mendip District Council to ensure Easthill Field is protected and state that “given the number of veteran trees on the site it cannot be viable to develop Easthill while adhering to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requirements” and the Climate and Ecological Emergency.

We need to turn the pause into a full stop. 

Frome Town Council support our application to designate Easthill as an Asset of Community Value.

The land at Easthill is unique, it has never been cultivated or fertilised and represents an optimal example of naturally sequestered carbon in a patchwork of interdependent habitats supporting a wide array of wildlife.

We need to turn the pause into a full stop. 

We are facing a global climate and ecological crisis with catastrophic biodiversity loss across the planet. 20 million hectares of wilderness are lost worldwide every year. Easthill field is a clear example of local habitat under threat.

Mendip District Council and Somerset County Council recognise this crisis and have both adopted a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency Strategy. In the face of the alarming loss of species and habitat in the UK the council must commit to increase the potential for carbon absorption in our local landscape and to increase biodiversity and bio-abundance. Protecting rather than destroying Easthill Field by putting a stop to the development plans fulfils this commitment and acknowledges that Saving Easthill field now is an important step in the global challenge we face.

We need to turn this pause into a full stop. 

We the undersigned urge Mendip District Council to

1. Commission a full EIA on the land at Easthill

2. Transfer the land at Easthill to Frome Town Council for the benefit of Frome and beyond.

3. Remove Easthill from the housing development plan in perpetuity and protect it from any future development.

* BAP – UK BAP priority habitats cover a wide range of semi-natural habitat types, and were those that were identified as being the most threatened and requiring conservation action under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP).

https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/uk-bap-priority-habitats/