Dartmouth’s historic community orchard has finally received the protection afforded by “village green” status.

The Friends of Dartmouth Community Orchard have been campaigning to protect this historic site between Ridge Hill and College Way since 2014. In a new collaboration with orchard owners Dartmouth Town Council their efforts have been rewarded.

Peter Goldstraw, of the Friends group said: “This is a good news story which demonstrates the value of collaboration between a community action group and Dartmouth Town Council.”

The Friends have been working in the orchard, improving pathways, restoring apple trees and enhancing the area.

Peter Shaw, speaking on behalf of the group, added: “We can now continue working with the town council to keep the orchard as a special place for townspeople and visitors alike, free from worry about its future.”

Village green status will protect Dartmouth’s historic community orchard from development in perpetuity and enhance it as a local amenity.

The three-acre site between Ridge Hill and College Way is the last remnant of a network of 19 orchards shown on the tithe map of the parish in 1840. Although its owner Dartmouth Town Council saw the value of the orchard for local use Peter Goldstraw, of the Friends of Dartmouth Community Orchard, said discussions have arisen over the years about development of the land, usually when its maintenance or repair of boundary walls was required.

The orchard was originally owned by the Raleigh Estate and obtained by compulsory purchase by the Secretary of State for Defence in 1898 to build a shore base for Britannia Royal Naval College. It was cut off from the rest of the BRNC estate by the construction of College Way in the late 60’s and further isolated by the erection of security fences in the mid 70’s. No longer required for naval training the site was purchased by Dartmouth Town Council for £15,000 in 1993.

In 2014 a group of concerned residents formed the Friends of Dartmouth Community Orchard. At the time the group said the greatest threat to the orchard was its neglect and inaccessibility. They set about conserving, enhancing, and promoting its use by the community for quiet recreation, education, and events. The group developed a management plan in collaboration with the town council and members attended training courses on land management. They also improved paths; erected bird and bat boxes; organised community picnics and apple pressing days; erected a shelter with a ‘green’ roof; sponsored information and notice boards; and restored and extended the stock of apple varieties through grants, donations and a memorial tree policy.

Despite their hard work the long-term protection of the orchard remained unresolved, so the Friends set up a strategic group to protect the space through a Village Green status award.

Peter Goldstraw, who led this initiative, said: “It was clear to the members of the group that Village Green status offered the gold standard protection, perpetual and stronger than that afforded to the Green Belt.

“However, in lengthy discussions with the Open Spaces Society it was evident that gaining this status against the wishes of the owners, Dartmouth Town Council, would hinge on a number of fine legal arguments that could only be settled in an escalating series of court battles. Without the funds to pursue this route the Friends settled on gaining an ‘Asset of Community Value’ designation for the orchard, which was awarded on the basis of the portfolio of evidence we produced, and despite the strong objections of the then town council at the time. In addition, the strategic group gained the support of almost 1,000 signatories in a petition which demanded that the orchard be listed as a Local Green Space in the Neighbourhood Plan then under development”.

Before purchasing the orchard in 1993, the then Dartmouth Town Clerk Mr Snell was asked to evaluate the wisdom of such a move. His report stated covenants would forbid the use of the land for any commercial or industrial purpose and that financial penalties would further deter any development for 80 years. There was also resistance to development from South Hams Council through its Local Plan at the time. Mr Snell concluded the land would have to be purchased by the town council as an amenity area only.

Peter said the radical overhaul of Dartmouth Town Council in 2019 brought in a new era of collaboration with the orchard’s Friends group.

He added: “An approach by the Friends suggesting the orchard be designated as a Village Green was immediately supported by the Mayor and others. Such ‘voluntary registration’ by the owner of the site is usually approved quickly by Devon County Council but the intrusion of Covid 19 imposed considerable delays. However, with the support of our Mayor, Cllr Graham Webb, our MP Anthony Mangnall and County Cllr Jonathan Hawkins, notification was finally received.

“The people of Dartmouth and our visitors can now enjoy this tranquil space with its fine views of BRNC, Coronation Park and the river, a haven for biodiversity and a repository for many Devon varieties of apple trees secure in the knowledge that it is a legacy our town council has provided for us and all future generations.”