Brixham Town council buys Wishings Field with plans for community space

Brixham's village green, commonly known as Wishings Field, has been bought by the town council at public auction.

The three-acre Wishings Field was registered as a village green in June 2010 following the outcome of a public inquiry in 2009 after a planning wrangle.

A local campaign group at the time claimed the field had provided an open space for local children to play for more than 60 years and the Planning Inspector found their evidence 'very compelling'.

The 'village green' registration protected the space from being developed by the owners at the time.

A Brixham Town Council spokesperson said: "The green has been privately owned. However, in recent times it was brought to the town council’s attention that it had changed hands.

"At a town council meeting in July 2022, councillors were presented with proposals to develop the area into nine properties, retaining some of the space for community use.

"Councillors raised concerns with the landowner that the proposals would be detrimental to the village green status, the Brixham Neighbourhood Plan and Torbay Local Plan.

"In an attempt to protect the village green, councillors held discussions with the landowner but in the end the owner decided to proceed with a public auction."

Richard Haddock, outgoing town council chairperson, said “The town council was keen to purchase the village green to protect it from risk of further development. We are overjoyed that we have been successful.

"The first aim is to remove the broken fencing and due to the Wildlife and Countryside Act, the council will only be able to carry out minimal maintenance for the next few months.”

Town clerk Tracy Hallett said “The village green has an abundance of wildlife and we have considered how we could enhance the space into an accessible wildlife habitat that may include a garden of reflection, community orchard or sensory garden. We will use our time during the nesting season to record all the different wildlife habitats and consult with the community before the council considers the final plans.”

The council will time its consultation with the release of the next issue of the Brixham Signal in July. Details will also be found on its social media sites and website.

Wishings Field, off St Mary's Hill and Wishings Road, had an auction guide price of at least £50,000 and was sold in an online auction on April 27 by Charles Darrow Auctions.

Anyone who wants to help the council record the different wildlife habitats, should call 01803 859678 or email info@brixhamtowncouncil.gov