North Shropshire farm in bid to 'save' 12 acres of land from development
A farm in north Shropshire has launched a bid to bring 12 acres of land into community ownership amid fears the owners want to sell it for development.
The board of directors behind the community-owned Fordhall Farm near Market Drayton are hoping to bring the 12-acre 'Cottage Field' under its control.
While the field has historically been farmed by the Hollins family - Fordhall's tenant farmers - for "generations", the 12-acre patch was not part of the 128-acre plot that was placed into community ownership in 2006.
According to Fordhall Farm, part of the field was rented to the Hollins' on a "short-term tenancy", which ended in September this year.
With the tenancy over, Fordhall Farm says the landowners are hoping to sell the land amid development pressure on local authorities.
A spokesperson for the Community Land Initiative said: "We hoped this time would never come. Unfortunately, it has.
