Historic England oppose homes on medieval field system

The organisation that protects the country’s historic places is opposing plans to build affordable homes in a North Devon village because they would be on nationally important land.

Braunton Community Land Trust (CLT) is asking for “in principle” permission for homes, for social rent, at Broadlands Farm, Saunton Road.

But the area is part of the Braunton Great Field, one of only two surviving medieval open field systems in England still in use, and Historic England wants the trust to build elsewhere.

The Braunton group says it has carried out an extensive search of sites in the village but favours this one, where it is in negotiations with the landowner and which is close to local amenities.

It is outside the village boundary but is classified as a ‘rural exception site.’

Ninety households are waiting for homes in Braunton, which is deemed as “significant.”

The proposed homes would be owned by the trust, which would work with a local housing provider to rent them to local families.

Under the terms of a CLT, these homes would never be sold on the open market.

Braunton Parish Council is in favour of the plans, and 39 people have written to the council in support, while one has objected.

North Devon Council officers recommend the application be refused because of strong objections from Historic England, which said: “The importance of preserving this nationally important site cannot be overstated.”

It continued: “Braunton Great Field is an extremely rare survival of a once predominant agricultural practice whereby the farmers of a medieval village worked a number of their own allocated strips of land together, the open field system.

“The strips were approximately one acre, measuring 22 yards by 220 yards, and each farmer would have strips of land alongside their neighbours in such a way that all shared good and bad soil.

“Open field systems provide information and understanding of medieval and post-medieval landholding, agriculture, rural society, and the growth of the landowning classes and, as such, are a window on the past.”

Historic England says while it understands the need for affordable homes, the proposal would cut off the outer reaches of the open field system, eroding the surviving elements of it.

The Great Field should be considered a heritage asset of equal significance to scheduled monuments, it said.

The council’s planning committee has deferred the application for a site visit and to consider other possible locations for the homes.

Two other sites are in the initial stages of discussion but are not owned by the CLT, so aren’t guaranteed to progress.

The land at Saunton Road was submitted following a public consultation. The CLT believes it is “different” from the rest of the Great Field designation.

A housing enabling officer said: “Braunton suffers acutely from the problem of holiday lets, Airbnbs, and second homes, creating a huge lack of affordable properties for local people, so much so that Braunton has declared a housing crisis.

“If accepted, this proposal will provide 100% of the dwellings as social rent and go some way to addressing the massive need for affordable housing in the parish.”