Empty lodge next to a field (3)
I believe the answer is:
lea
'field' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'empty lodge next to a' is the wordplay.
'empty' suggests removing the centre.
'next to' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'lodge' with its middle taken out is 'le'.
'le'+'a'='LEA'
(Other definitions for lea that I've seen before include "grazing area" , "River flowing through London" , "Open grassy land; river" , "Tract of pastureland" , "Poetically, a piece of meadow or pasture" .)