Totnes Land-based Living Collective

Introducing our vision

We aim to create a land-based community of around 15 households on 30–50 acres close to Totnes.

The project will be part of the larger goal of restoring humans into natural living systems as a beneficial keystone spicies — increasing biodiversity while growing food and living lightly and joyfully on the land.

We’ll live simply, affordably, and beautifully, within the carrying capacity of the earth — combining natural building, low-impact living, agroecology, shared governance, and deep care for each other and the land.

This will be more than a place to live. It will be a coherent response to the multiple crises we face — housing, mental health, biodiversity, cost of living, and climate — and a vibrant demonstration that another kind world is possible.

There is no shortage of fields around Totnes. And there are plenty of solutions for creating low-cost housing, land-based livelihoods, and ways of life rich in natural abundance and joy. Together we can bring these solutions together and plant them here amidst the rolling hills of the South Hams, building a beautiful community that nourishes both the soil of the land and the souls of its residents. We will also host visitors, offer education, produce food and crafts for the wider local community, and support massive biodiversity gains on site.

If you’d like to learn more about our vision, you can read our feasibility study where we describe our plan in greater depth and outline its benefits.

Where we’re at now

We are at the very early stages of this project. We don’t yet have land, or finance, or even a particularly large group of people interested in being involved. Be we do have a clear vision, a viable roadmap, a strong belief that our world desperately needs working models of genuinely sustainable and life-ennobling ways of living, and the determination to do all we can to bring this community into being.

Over the summer of 2025 we will be sharing our vision with the Totnes community and inviting in the many people and groups who have wisdom and experience to contribute to this project. We will also be engaging with those who may oppose this kind of project, listening to their objections and trying to understand differing viewpoints.

Keep an eye out for upcoming events from June onwards.

Local authorities

We hope to work with the South Hams District Council and Totnes Town Council to establish this community with local authority support. To this end, we’re in the process of registering under the South Hams Housing Offer in order to engage the council at this early stage and also apply for funding and support to form a legal entity for the purpose of community creation.

In the face of the climate and ecological emergencies, as declared by both town and district councils, as well as the housing and cost-of-living crises which are affecting many people in Totnes, we believe that our vision for land-based community living should receive recognition and appropriate council support as a pioneering initiative with widespread positive outcomes for future residents, the local Totnes community, and the natural world.

Get involved

We're looking for people to co-create this with us: individuals, couples, families — with or without prior experience of intentional community or land-based living. What matters most is alignment with the vision we’re working towards and shared commitment to core ecological and social values.

If this speaks to you — whether you're a builder, grower, facilitator, artist, healer, activist, or simply someone longing for connection and purpose — drop us your email below and we’ll reach out to you to arrange a chat.