Trust works with Town Council to secure important community space

"How about the land across the road from KEVICC, known as the Lower

Field, becoming a new community space for Totnes? If that can be achieved

what a plus that would be for the town.

The Totnes Heritage Trust is working with the Town Council to encourage

potential partners to join with it in submitting a revised bid for the Lower Field

site at KEVICC."

This is an extract of the letter sent by the Totnes Heritage Trust to those at

KEVICC responsible for the sale of the Lower Field.

Totnes Heritage Trust Chair John Birch explained: “We understand that the school is still awaiting the determination of its application to the Secretary of State for Education for permission to sell the site. This lengthy procedure provides the Town Council with an opportunity to enlist partners to reinforce its earlier bid to purchase the site for the

community."

"As a result of a generous donation from a local philanthropist, an

opportunity has arisen to revisit and review the Town Council’s previous

feasibility work on, and bid to KEVICC for, the Lower Field site."

The purpose of this review is to update and develop this work into a new document

specifically designed to seek partners and funders to work with the Town

Council in its bid to purchase the site for the community.

The Totnes Heritage Trust has become involved because of the significance of the

Elmhirst Building and Lower Field site to the history, heritage and culture of

Totnes.

The Trust has received a philanthropic donation pledged to the

community bid for the site and is using it to commission and fund the

preparation and production of a document aimed at attracting partners to the

project as well as meeting with and securing contributing partners

The Trust has instructed a specialist to proceed with the preparation and

production of the “partnership prospectus” and discussions are planned with

prospective partners to seek to encourage their involvement in the community

project and be part of the strengthened bid for the Lower Field site.

Mr Birch said: "Hopefully when the opportunity arises you will invite the Town Council and its partners to submit a revised bid for the Lower Field..”

Meanwhile the Trust has instructed the specialist to start work on the

partnership prospectus and meetings have taken place with potential

partners.