Greenham Reach
ELC’s first ecological smallholding cluster, Mid Devon
📍Devon, United Kingdom
✓ established
Our Story
Greenham Reach is the Ecological Land Cooperative’s first site: 22 acres (8.85 ha) at Holcombe Rogus, Mid Devon, postcode TA21 0JY, next to the River Tone. Bought 2009 as intensive arable and grazing; rare lowland meadow remains on the holding. Temporary planning for three residential agricultural smallholdings came in April 2013; permanent permission in 2019. Plots A/B/C are about 5.5–8.9 acres each, plus 0.3 ha of shared woodland and facilities. Shared kit: timber barn, solar and wind, rainwater harvesting. Stewards live in temporary dwellings with a path to permanent homes. Businesses on site have included Steepholding, Wild Geese Acres, Crystal, and Elder Farm (medicinal herbs). A 2019 ecological survey said the site may now be of considerable local importance for pollinators. Plot B (6.75 acres) and Plot C (8.9 acres) have been listed as available around a 2026 steward turnover. Land is held by the ELC in perpetuity. Tenure is a 150-year lease or affordable rent, tied to a management plan. Apply via the co-op, not the gate.
Our Tribe
Community Life
Lifestyle Notes
Working smallholdings sharing a barn and off-grid services. Farm labour, not a retreat.
Membership & Governance
Decision Making
ELC multi-stakeholder CBS. Stewards hold 50% of co-op votes. Site decisions sit under the management plan and planning tie.
Membership Process
Apply as an ELC steward at https://ecologicalland.coop/join-us/join-elc-as-an-ecological-farmer/. Investor and worker memberships are separate and do not give a plot.
Our Vision
Show that three affordable agroecological smallholdings can restore a former intensive field and give new-entrant farmers a secure home and livelihood.