Residents of Bovey Tracey in Devon want to acquire Bonds Meadow from the National Trust and stop the sale of the woodland area to a developer for housing. The sale, for around £300,000, is due to proceed on condition that planning permission is granted for the development.

The land is part of the Parke Estate which was given in his will to the National Trust by Major Hole, a local farmer and life-long resident of Bovey Tracey. The meadow has been left to ‘rewild’ over the past 12 years, and is now home to many pollinating insects and birds and protected species such as the dormouse. The meadow is greatly valued by the local community as a haven for wildlife.

Locals were therefore dismayed when the land was earmarked for residential development in Teignbridge District Council’s 2013-2033 ‘Local Plan’ for residential development. The developer, Burrington Estates, has already had its plans for phase one of the development approved, despite numerous objections and flaws in the application, and has indicated its intention to build houses on the Bonds Meadow site.

A group of local residents would like to acquire the site from the National Trust and is ready to manage and look after it for generations to come. They want to protect the trees and natural habitat on the site and preserve it as an amenity for the town.

The National Trust argues that, as a charity, it needs to realize as much money as possible from gifts given for this purpose. The charity is particularly short of money in the aftermath of the pandemic. The Trust claims that the sale of Bonds Meadow ‘… will help keep Parke's 200 acres open and accessible to all, while funding the creation and extension of wildlife habitats.’

Rebecca Burton, National Trust Regional Director for the South West, says that the charity looks after ‘many places that require charitable funds but bring in little or no money themselves’ and that the Parke Estate remains accessible thanks to such gifts.

Sally Morgan of the Save Bonds Meadow Group believes that the Parke Estate is already financially viable, as there is income from various tenants on the estate, including a thriving café, car parking charges and the lease of the house to Devon County Council for use as the headquarters of the Dartmoor National Park Authority.

It seems unlikely that a sum as small as £300,000, which would yield an annual income of £12,000 at most, would make a difference to the financial viability of the Parke Estate in the long term. The National Trust regularly spends larger sums than that on consultants, installations of contemporary art or information boards. At Petworth for example, more than £300,000 was spent on a 'Transformation Project' which has had no lasting impact, and there were similar projects at many other properties, amounting to an expenditure of millions of pounds.

The National Trust has in recent years aimed to increase visitor and membership numbers and has focussed on bringing in more money. However, the pursuit of revenue needs to be balanced against its impact on the properties in the charity’s care. In the case of Bonds Meadow, the sum which could be raised is relatively small, while there are considerable benefits in retaining the woodland for the local community in the long term.

You can register your objection to the sale by signing a petition.

Objections can be raised with Hilary McGrady, the Director-General of the National Trust at Hilary.mcgrady@nationaltrust.org.uk, or with the local agent who liaises with Save Bonds Meadow, tim.linnington@nationaltrust.org.uk.

Find out more about Save Bonds Meadow here. The group is raising funds for a legal challenge to the National Trust’s decision.

Visit their Twitter page and Facebook page and use the social media hashtag #SaveBondsMeadow.

The National Trust is also selling Clayton Meadow in Studland, Dorset. Find out more and visit the Facebook page.