A meeting to discuss controversial plans for a food growing and selling project on land off the A35, near Axminster attracted more than 50 residents last week.

The Common Ground Project has bought 47 acres of land overlooking Harcombe and intends to set up a trust that will enable 50 or so families to 'live off the land', either feeding themselves, or providing an income from the land through horticulture, agriculture and livestock.

Cian Dalglish and Graham Willett from the project explained their plans at a meeting hosted by eco-group Turn Lyme Green at Lyme Regis Baptist Church last week.

The land is in the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is currently "unimproved grassland" full of wildflowers and wildlife.

Fiona Wood, of Turn Lyme Green, said: "We have lost somewhere in the range of 95-97% of our species rich grasslands in this country. Growing vegetables and trees on such valuable grassland after killing it off with plastic sheeting is awful.

"There are thousands of fields that are ecological wastelands with one or two species, these are the kind of fields where a project like The Common Ground could do good."

Graham Willett of Common Ground offer a counter-argument, saying: "These species exist on the site because of many centuries of diverse farming activities, which are now not happening due to nimbyism, planning policy and economic breakdown in farming.

"The ecosystems on the site are rapidly transitioning due to this factor."

Other concerns raised at the meeting included:

• The visual impact of 50 or so 'tiny houses', in effect mobile homes on this sloping site. By using mobile homes Common Ground may be able to circumvent the normal planning permission required for a residential project of this size.
• Waste and sewage processing on the site and the effect that this would have on the ecology, groundwater and watercourses.
• Access from the fast, moving and dangerous section of the A35.

There was support at the meeting for some of the aims of the project, including enhancing the supply of local organic food and enabling more people to grown their own food – but many questioned about the proposed location.

Common Ground was invited back in 12 to 18 months' time to report on progress of the project.