Village fighting plans to save field

A housing development is planned

Residents of a South Hams village are fighting plans to sell a former school playing field for housing. The old school field in Loddiswell near Kingsbridge has become a wildlife meadow since the primary school moved to a new site on the edge of the village in 2018.

The relocation led Devon County Council to put the land up for sale with a pre-planning application for 10 houses, but this week a petition with 462 signatures was presented to the council urging it to rethink. At a meeting of the council’s ruling cabinet, Phil Comelio from local group Wild About Loddiswell said he wanted the council to “understand the strength of feeling within the village that we want to retain this land for the benefit of the community – it being the last open green space within the village.”

“This is really an important piece of land for us and we feel that the addition of these extra houses wouldn’t actually benefit the village itself, which has had a fair bit of recent building development in any case.” He added: “It’s for the health and wellbeing of Loddiswell villagers and the petition of the wildlife that flourishes there, much of which is rare and endangered.”

Councillors were also told the group has applied to make the field an ‘asset of community value’, with the bid currently going through a consultation process. Assets of community value give the local community a window to raise money and bid for assets if they are put up for sale. 

A spokesperson for Devon County Council said in response: “We thank Wild About Loddiswell for their petition, and our relevant cabinet member or director will respond directly to the group on the issues raised within 15 working days.”