Overview
- The Duchy confirmed plans to sell about ten farms on the Bradninch estate in Mid Devon as part of a reshaping of its holdings.
- Sitting tenants will get first refusal at a discounted price and support with legal and professional fees during the process.
- The Tenant Farmers Association said it is disappointed but noted it has received no reports of formal eviction notices so far.
- Several tenants and local residents said buying would be unaffordable and reported high stress and uncertainty over duchy-owned community spaces such as wetlands, allotments and the football field.
- Duchy leaders say the sale will redirect investment to places with greater social and environmental need, citing projects in Kennington and on Dartmoor, while critics in national outlets cast the move as putting profit before people.