By Saul Cooke-Black

A SURGE of donations has kick-started a plan to buy farmland and turn it into a community asset – which would protect the site from housing development.

Over £150,000 has been pledged by members of the public, mainly from Stroud farmers and organisations, towards buying Hammonds Farm – which was put up for sale on June 1.

Led by The Biodynamic Land Trust, £360,000 must be raised to buy out the land near Hawkwood College in Stroud, and run it as a co-owned, community farm.

Martin Large, director of the Trust, said: “This is a rare opportunity to secure a beautiful area of land on the doorstep of Stroud town for environmental, economic and community benefit.

“Just as Stroud people built our Subscription Rooms with public subscriptions in the 19th century, so we are reinventing co-operative ways of securing public assets such as farms into democratic community trusteeship.

“Hammonds Farm cannot afford to buy the land because it is too expensive. Our job is to raise the money to then rent the land out as a community farm.”

Mr Large said the model of a community farm will help secure a stable income for farmers whilst also preventing the land from being sold off for development.

There would be a range of projects on the land, including a starter farm for young farmers.

Simon Charter, from Stroud Community Agriculture, said: “This land will help develop our mixed farm and market garden at Hawkwood and produce much more food for the wider community, not just for co-op workers.”

Hammonds Farm surrounds Hawkwood College and is approximately 180 acres with a farmhouse and farm buildings.

It is to be sold off in three lots – with The Biodynamic Land Trust proposing to buy lot three as a community farm. This consists of around 41.12 acres of land, West of Hawkwood College on Wick Street.

To find out more visit www.biodynamiclandtrust.org.uk