by Totnes Community | Mar 30, 2016 | News
Devon County Council (DCC) is currently preparing for a potential transfer of trusteeship of the Mansion to Totnes Community Development Society (TCDS).
This follows business modelling undertaken by TCDS through the Town Council Steering Group last year and a call from the Steering Group for groups interested in taking on management of the Mansion to come forward on behalf of the community. The aim of this work has been to establish a way that the building can remain in community use into the future.
by Totnes Community | Feb 24, 2016 | News
Totnes Community Development Society Community Right to Build Order for Atmos Totnes, The Former Totnes Creameries Site, Totnes, TQ9 5JP
by Totnes Community | Dec 22, 2015 | News
The Atmos Totnes Hub was open every day between 2nd November and 20th December for Regulation 14 consultation on the draft Community Right to Build Order (Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012). Totnes Community Development Society would like to thank all residents and businesses who took the time to view the draft Order and supporting material and for their contributions through formal input into the process.
by Totnes Community | Nov 2, 2015 | News
Totnes Community Development Society Community Right to Build Order for Atmos Totnes, The Former Totnes Creameries Site, Totnes, TQ9 5JP
by Totnes Community | Oct 5, 2015 | News
When the Atmos Hub was open last month, over 150 people passed through and left their thoughts and comments. We caught up with a few people as they were leaving, and here is a podcast which captures some of their reflections
by Totnes Community | Oct 5, 2015 | News
Totnes Community Development Society is submitting for a Community Right to Build Order for Atmos Totnes (on former the Dairy Crest site). Details of the order proposal are available for residents, businesses and agencies to view and comment and make representations to Totnes Community Development Society at the Atmos Totnes Hub, Station Road, TQ9 5JP, the London side of Totnes Train station) on the following dates: 2nd November – 20 December 2015 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 10am – 4pm Wednesday 2pm – 8pm Saturday and Sunday 11am – 3pm A programme of exhibits will also take place in venues around Totnes. Details will be published shortly. What will Atmos Totnes will mean for you, your family and your neighbourhood? Atmos Totnes aims to provide truly affordable community-linked housing and jobs. Through the development, the community can own land and buildings, and run services and businesses in ways that meet the needs of Totnes, flexibly into the future. A Community Right to Build Order is a new community-led route to planning being used at Atmos Totnes. Many individuals, families, organisations in Totnes have helped shape the design process at Atmos Totnes and now formal consultation can begin. An examination of the process will be undertaken by an official representative but ultimately, a decision to grant planning content is given through a public referendum. The community will therefore be asked to vote for or against the Atmos Totnes development next... 
by Totnes Community | Jun 17, 2015 | News
Here at Atmos Totnes we’ve just opened for a period of consultation specifically around business uses on the site. This marks the beginning of a new and final phase of information gathering on the development before the development goes forward for a Community Right to Build Order referendum. If you’ve ever dreamt of moving an existing business at Atmos, or starting a new one, or are looking for space for particular activities, we’d really love to hear from you before July 24th. We are asking businesses or organisations interested in using the planned enterprise space on the site to come forward to submitexpressions of interest. An open meeting to explore how businesses can collaborate and develop and how this relates to the expressions of interest process will be held on Monday 6th July 2015 at 7pm at the Seven Stars Ball Room. Totnes Community Development Society is the body leading the project to deliver Atmos Totnes on the old Dairy Crest site next to Totnes Station. All being well, work is expected to begin on the site in 2016 for delivery in 2017 and 2018. Site facilities will include flexible work and live/work units of varying sizes, access to outdoor space and opportunities for meanwhile space (space to be defined by the users). A fully integrated travel plan will be in operation on site including provision of electric bicycle, car and van hire share. The site will be managed as a Community Land Trust. Therefore those utilising space will likely be offered a range of essential services inclusively within their lease. The collaborative spirit that has run through Atmos... 
by Totnes Community | Apr 1, 2015 | News
By the end of the recent Phase One of consultation on Atmos Totnes we had spoken to and heard the views of 2,500 local people on what should happen on the former Dairy Crest site. Although you might imagine that we would have received such a diverse hotchpotch of ideas that it would be impossible to find any kind of consensus, actually the common thinking came through strongly. At the last round of consultation, those principles were put up for feedback, and, with a few changes, agreed upon. So as the Totnes Community Development Society team get underway with the design work, making this project a reality on the ground, we thought it would be good to post here the principles underpinning their work. Key Issues Sense of arrival High density mixed development – live, work and relax Opportunities for Learning woven into all aspects of live, work and relax on the site Ownership and management is through community enterprise Its financially viable Development is Carbon Neutral both build and end use The project compliments and improves the prosperity of other organisations Its establishes meaningful connections with the historic town Live (Housing) New models of housing: owner occupier, community housing, tied Housing for all ages Housing at costs people can afford No second home owners Opportunities for shared facilities Different sizes, styles and heights Integrated with natural space Creating distinct communities Self-build Inside/outside space Sustainable and low energy/natural materials Innovative Old/new Integrated between age groups Roof gardens, Walkways Work Co-creation community workspace Learning and skills share Contribute to economic relocalisation – local jobs, money recirculating etc. Small scale work... 
by Totnes Community | Feb 10, 2015 | News
On January 30th and 31st, Totnes Community Development Society opened the doors of the Atmos Totnes Hub again for 2 days of consultation. Over that time, 250 people passed through and shared their thoughts on the next steps towards a site design for the former Dairy Crest site. The consultation had been preceded, over the two previous weekends, by the work of what was called the ‘Community Design Team’. 20 people from across the community came together for an intensive 4 days of design work, which included site walks and tours of Totnes to study the architecture there. Display introducing the Community Design Team. They also ‘digested’ the ideas already gathered in the Hub from previous consultations, and worked in groups to produce designs for the site. The degree of consensus reached by the end of the workshops was remarkable. Here is a short video about that process: The consultation at the end of January told that story, presenting the outputs from the workshops, as well as identifying the key principles coming through strongly in relation to housing, open space and so on, and asking for the community’s feedback. An initial draft masterplan was presented, as well as an innovative 3D model formed using childrens’ toys and scaled cut-outs of recognisable Totnes landmarks, which gave a sense of uses and scale. The Hub was buzzing, and many of those visiting left their thoughts and suggestions. We’d like to thank everyone who came and Encounters Arts for their highly skilled facilitation. There will soon be more opportunities to engage with this process and to share your thoughts on the ongoing design process. ... 
by Totnes Community | Jan 30, 2015 | News
This Friday and Saturday sees the Atmos Totnes Hub opening its doors to the community for feedback on the work we’ve done thus far. More on that here. The consultation days were preceded by two weekends in which the Atmos project team was temporarily expanded to include 20 people from across the community. Here is a short film telling the story of what happened on those... 