The long awaited sale of KEVICC Land is going ahead.

As revealed in the Pulse in May last year King Edward VI Community College was given the go-ahead to sell surplus land known locally as The Lower Field, The Elmhirst Building and part of the college some time ago.

Now a press release issued by Education South West says that the town council, whose previous offer to buy the land was not accepted back in 2022 and led to a town meeting and local campaign, has been issued a Formal Notice of Disposal. The press release clearly indicates that the sale will leave any decisions about the use of the land will be with the new owners:

The Official Press release:

Education South West (ESW) has confirmed it is moving forward with plans relating to the sale of land at King Edward VI Community College (KEVICC), following approval from the Department for Education (DfE) and the issuing of a formal Notice of Disposal to Totnes Town Council.

The DfE approved the proposal on the basis that the KEVICC estate was originally built to accommodate significantly more students than attend the school today. While the school once served around 1,700–1,800 students, its current roll is approximately 900, including the sixth form, meaning parts of the estate are no longer required.

All proceeds from any future sale will be reinvested directly into KEVICC, with funding remaining within the Totnes community. The school will continue to operate as it does currently, on the Redworth and Kennicott sites, and using its sports facilities on the Elmhirst site.

The investment will support significant refurbishment and modernisation across the estate, including both internal and external improvements to school buildings and facilities, helping ensure KEVICC can continue to serve local children and young people for decades to come.

All existing sports facilities, including the all-weather pitch will be retained; the latter is and will remain a shared community use sports facility under a shared use agreement in place with South Hams District Council.

Alan Salt, Headteacher at KEVICC, said: “KEVICC has been at the heart of Totnes and the surrounding communities for generations, and this proposal is about making sure the school continues to thrive long into the future.  By reinvesting in our buildings and facilities, we can create an environment that better supports the experience of current and future students. Importantly, there will be no impact on the day-to-day running of KEVICC, and students will continue to benefit from the same sports and outdoor provision as they do today.”

As part of the statutory process, a Notice of Intent to Dispose has been issued to Totnes Town Council due to the land’s previous designation as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

ESW stresses that it is responsible for the disposal of the land itself, but any future proposals for development or use would be a matter for a future purchaser and subject to the normal planning process, including consultation by the local planning authority.

Press Release Ends

There is an online page with FAQ’s which states:

• There will be no impact on the day-to-day running of the school
• Teaching, learning and student life at KEVICC continue as normal
• All funds raised through any future sale will be directly into KEVICC

Education South West recognises the importance of the site to the wider community and is committed to communicating openly and transparently as the process progresses.

The Pulse has been given a statement by South Hams District Councillor John Birch who states:

“In or about 2018 at the time the Joint Local Plan was being prepared by SHDC, West Devon and Plymouth KEVICC made submissions that it wished to sell land at the school for development. It proposed the plan include for a development of 260 dwellings on its property. There was opposition to this proposal [Why This Field campaign] of which I was one.”

The end result was set out in the ‘Joint Local Plan‘, in which the number of homes was reduced to 130, The “J L P” adopted by SHDC in 2019 is the current planning policy with the exception that the number of dwellings is no longer specified in the plan.

“This figure no longer stands because of the Labour government’s housing policy. SHDC has been informed by the government that the housing numbers in its local plan are insufficient and should be increased. As a result, SHDC has just started the preparation of a new local plan.

It now looks as though KEVICC will be fulfilling its long held intention to sell part of its land for development and that if and when sold the future use will be very much in the hands of developers who in any event will need to comply with the provisions of the JLP but will no doubt seek the exceed the number of dwellings above 130.“