My partner and me moved to Totnes nearly 20 years ago. I moved my software business here. We loved the creative vibe. Dartington was full of vitality and the combination of locals, students, hippies, everyone, all helped make the town a lively, eclectic and happy place.
We lost Dartington College a few years back and it was tragic but the town continues to be wonderful and thankfully, retains our legacy of creativity and friendliness.
The Lower Field is the one last open space prior to the built up area of the town coming in from Dartington since the Puddavine field was covered with a new housing estate. Totnes is oversubscribed for developers and has already taken more than 10% of all new building from the Plymouth & Exeter Joint Local Plan. Many of these new builds are second homes.
For a place surrounded by beautiful countryside, we actually have very few green spaces in the town – these are: Vire Island, Leechwell Gardens and Borough Park. The first two are very small and the latter is actually a rugby pitch, so not particulary a space people want to relax, picnic, stroll or play music and games in.
The Lower field is exactly that space and has the potential to be so much more with it’s access to the river and for the Elmhirst Building to be such a fantastic resource for Totnes.
This area is deeply important and we ABSOLUTELY must not lose it.
