Local Rewilding And Cohousing Project Hoping To Make A Difference In Totnes
Popularised by George Monbiot, rewilding is something on the minds of many Totnesians, especially as the natural beauty of South Devon feels under continual threat of development. The Rewilding Collective, a Charitable Community Benefit Society based in Totnes, are investing their time and love into land, and Broomborough House Farm, a 168 acre property just fifteen minutes’ walk from the centre of Totnes, that ticks all the boxes, has just come onto the market.
There’s a lot of interest in alternative and regenerative farming
Locals love the idea of The Rewilding Collective. “It feels very clear that coming together to co-operatively manage our shared resources will secure our health and that of future generations.“ Roisin McCarthy-Green, 38, a Relationship Therapist, moved to Totnes in 2019, got married in Follaton, and with a child born in 2024, wants to contribute to the project. “I’m keen on having a positive impact on the land, and it feels very easy to say yes to supporting it.” She’s been dropping leaflets through neighbours’ doors for The Rewilding Collective to drum up support, and is clear that they’re all hugely in favour too. “Some neighbours have been here more than 30 years- they’re all on board and excited for the prospect of rewilding our local habitat. There’s a lot of interest in alternative and regenerative farming in Totnes.”
Between development, buildings and pollution, our landscapes have seen significant declines in the health of our ecosystems and wildlife, while intensive farming degrades our soil and poisons our water. Rewilding aims to halt and ultimately reverse those losses by carefully returning stewardship of the most important land back to nature, helping restore much-needed balance and contributing to the health of wildlife and locals too. The Rewilding Collective, run as a co-operative by conservationists, farmers and eco-architects, sells community shares and uses these investments for rewilding and regenerative food growing, only rewilding land not suitable for plant-based agriculture. They aim to empower the community to steward and co-own land previously under private ownership, frequently misused and exploited. The Rewilding Collective offers a vehicle for those seeking a tangible environmental legacy, to invest in the restoration of British ecosystems. Rewilding and regenerative agriculture bring life and biodiversity back to the land. Threatened species can re-establish themselves, greenhouse gases are locked into soil and plants as part of a wider, healthy ecosystem.
The Rewilding Collective will be supported by Regenerative Community, a local co-housing group. Local community groups have repeatedly raised the need for more financially accessible and community-led housing. Regenerative Community aims to establish co-housing with a range of units to suit differing needs, and with the aim of supporting ‘change-makers’ of many kinds. They are looking for backers to help them reach their £4 million target. The property is being sold in four lots, with scope for repurposing land currently used for grazing for plant-based food production and rewilding. Investors can buy into the cohousing and become a resident member, or use it as a rental investment, or provide a bridging loan for someone to buy into the scheme. Investors in Regenerative Community legally co-own the land, get to physically make a difference, have a say in how land and ecosystems are managed, and can lease area for growing fruit and vegetables and even share in an orchard.
To get in touch with the project or to help fund it, please visit https://rewildingcollective.org/broomborough-house-farm.