On Saturdays throughout autumn, residents of Totnes have met at a field on the banks of the River Dart to play ballgames, fly kites or simply sit on the grass and chat.
But it hasn’t just been about having fun – this has been a “play protest” aimed at trying to save a beloved piece of open land in the historic Devon market town.
The local comprehensive, King Edward VI Community College (KEVICC), has been given the go-ahead by the UK government to sell the ۱.۵-hectare plot – Lower Field – and it is likely houses will be built on it.
School leaders say they desperately need funds to revamp neglected buildings but campaigners claim the sell-off is an example of land that has been used by communities for decades being whisked away – a modern “enclosure” of public space.
“It’s devastating,” said Becca Robinson, who uses the field for women’s and girls’ fitness classes. “I’m trying to get women and girls to be more active and to get outdoors. The great thing about the field is it’s an open space, so it feels safe. It really worries me that, if we lost it, fewer women and girls will exercise.
“It’s also a spot people go just to do their own thing rather than take part in structured sport. You can just make an ad hoc decision to go and play a game or just to sit and read.”
Earlier this year, the anti-poverty charity Trussell published research revealing almost half of UK residents (۴۵%) had lost access to at least one community space – such as a park, social club, library or post office – since ۲۰۲۳.
Danielle McIlven, who has been organising games of rounders on the field, attended the school and said Lower Field had been part of her life for years. “It’s about the unstructured play that can take place there. In the summer you see swarms of teenagers playing there or heading down to the river.”
Anna Ali, the organiser of a women’s football “kickabout” and a member of the campaign group Friends of Lower Field, said the town had a reputation for being middle class and affluent. “But there is quite a lot of hidden impoverishment. Public green spaces are vital. I was speaking to a woman who brings her grandchildren here. They can’t afford to join sports clubs, so kicking a ball around on the field is a lifeline.”
Lewis Winks, a leading member of the Right to Roam group, said Lower Field had been shared by the school and the wider Totnes community since it was gifted by the Elmhirst family, known for progressive farming, forestry and educational projects on the nearby Dartington Estate, about a century ago.
A key issue the Friends group is digging into is the details of the Elmhirst gift – and whether it may have been legally given to the community or permanently protected for community use.
Winks said: “Lower Field is a vital place for young people and families to play, exercise and spend time together. Losing it would undermine the town’s vitality and wellbeing.”
after newsletter promotion
The Friends group wants Education South West, the trust the school is part of, to explore whether the field could be sold to the community. Winks said: “We are asking for a realistic window to raise the money. A community purchase could help fund improvements at KEVICC while safeguarding the field for its pupils and the wider community.”
But it is a race against time. The land is expected to be put on the market in January, giving little time to raise funds. Campaigners also highlight that measures under the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act ۲۰۲۶ aimed at giving communities greater influence over the places and assets that matter to them are unlikely to come into force in time. “We’re falling through the gap regarding a right to buy,” Winks said.
Matthew Shanks, chief executive of Education South West, said it understood how important the site was to the Totnes community and wanted to have an open and constructive conversation with people.
He said money raised would support significant refurbishment and modernisation across the school estate, including improvements to buildings and facilities. Shanks said the school would retain playing fields which would remain available for public use.
School principal Alan Salt said he understood the future of the field mattered hugely to the community. “We want to be open and transparent about what is proposed.” The trust and school have organised an open meeting to discuss the field.
Salt argued that selling it made sound financial sense. There had been little capital investment in the school for six years and it had “temporary” classrooms more than half a century old.
“So we’ve got a really acute set of challenges within a very difficult national context,” he said. “At the end of the day, we are a comprehensive school trying to get the best for the students in a really difficult national picture.”
