The Forest Garden saga continues…

The long term security of the forest garden behind the Old Postern on the Dartington estate is still not secure, according to Martin Crawford.

Last week Martin’s campaign to stay on the site, which he’s nurtured for 31 years, gathered a head of steam with tens of thousands signing a petition to save it and our MP Caroline Voaden writing to the DHT . (see story here) It brought chair of trustees, Lord David Triesman, flying in for a crisis meeting to discuss why Martin and his Agroforestry Research Trust (ART) had been given a notice of eviction.

Today (Wednesday 26th March) the Trust issued a statement which said it was honouring his lease. And said eviction was not on the agenda. But crucially it did not say what would happen once the lease – which has three years to run – expires.

Martin countered with his own press release. He says the DHT statement contains a “number of misleading statements which we feel we have to correct.”

The Dartington Trust statement says:

We have had constructive and productive discussions with Martin Crawford over the past week. That was the feedback from him too. Eviction was not on the agenda and is not the intention. Our objective is simple: to work with Martin to agree a physical solution for making the boundary of the forest garden secure and safe, meeting the needs of a prospective tenant for the larger adjoining site of the former college. Nothing more. We understand Martin’s concern about the security of his lease and occupancy. He has already gained a legal opinion telling him he has good security of tenure, but we appreciate that he wants to discuss this further. That is a longer term conversation. It will not, however, include the sale of the plot to ART, or to any other party. There is no risk to the forest garden and Martin Crawford’s tenure,and DHT is honouring his lease.

Martin’s reply to specific statements:

“Dartington Statement: “We have had constructive and productive discussions with Martin over the past week.”
No, we had one meeting on Weds 19th March when positive noises were made by DHT representatives. Then on Tuesday 25th March we had an email from David Triesman failing to address our need for long term security of the site.
Dartington Statement: “Eviction was not on the agenda and is not the intention.”
We were served notice by one member of DHT staff which was then queried by us, to be confirmed by Nick Harris (COO). Obviously eviction was on the agenda.
Dartington Statement:  “Our objective is simple: to work with Martin to agree a physical solution for making the boundary of the forest garden secure and safe, meeting the needs of a prospective tenant for the larger adjoining site of the former college. Nothing more.”
That may be so, but that wasn’t what our meeting on 19th March concentrated on, which was our need for long term security of the site following an irrevocable breakdown in trust between ART and DHT as a result of the eviction notice.
Dartington Statement: “He has already gained a legal opinion telling him he has good security of tenure”
DHT have not rescinded their notice to quit. Whether they do so or not is now irrelevant as our lease runs out in just over 3 years in any case – this is not good security of tenure.
Dartington Statement: “That is a longer term conversation”
No, we agreed in our meeting on 19th March that security of tenure is something that we need answers to speedily. Thus our extreme disappointment that David Triesman’s letter of 25th March failed to offer us anything in the way of long term security options.

From our perspective any agreement to a physical solution – ie fencing – to satisfy the SEN school interested in taking over the ex-Schumacher College buildings is inextricably linked to DHT coming forward with a solution giving us long term security of tenure. We have written to David Triesman making this point and publically call on DHT to see sense and come to an agreement on this.”

(The claim that an SEN school (Special Educational Needs) is the new tenant has not yet been verified by the Totnes Pulse.)