| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| JohnB |
New Eco-Hamlet - People Needed UrgentlyThis is a cut down version of the latest Newsletter from Eco-Hamlets UK. I'm happy to post the whole thing, but thought a shortened version was more appropriate
Eco-Hamlet Newsletter No. 3 5th October 2009 Our First Site - More People Needed * Progress Report * Our First Eco-Hamlet - Urgent Support Needed * A Small Eco-Hamlet in Wales * Eco-Hamlets UK Progress Report We currently have around 50 members, and a steady trickle of people are joining. As the word spreads, and we're seen to be a group that makes things happen, I'm sure membership will grow. Our First Eco-Hamlet - Urgent Support Needed Since July, we have been looking at a site with land in Gloucestershire. Our offer to buy it has been accepted, and now the race is on to make our plans, and complete the purchase. It consists of a 4 bedroom 17th/18th century house, that is not a listed building, a modern cottage, a large workshop, and 12 acres of land. The exciting and unusual feature is that part of the site is within the development boundary of a village, and the planning officer for the area, who is very supportive, has indicated that we may be able to create around a dozen homes there. Some housing will come from converting the existing buildings, but much of it will be new build. We are aiming to provide housing at the lowest cost possible, to enable people with limited resources to buy. We hope to have homes to buy, to rent and for shared ownership. There is a 4 bedroomed house for renovation available, and some further accommodation that will require some alteration and renovation. Some new build housing will be terraced or semi-detached, so individual design choice would be limited on these. There will however also be building plots for self build, where we hope to create varied and imaginative homes. At least one person wants a log cabin, and there's scope for lots of interesting shapes and different building materials, so it may be your chance to build your dream low-impact home. To achieve our aims, we need more people to put money into the initial purchase. We would like people who wish to live in the Eco-Hamlet, but we are also open to offers of loans, donations or grants, and may be in a position to issue shares. If you are interested in joining in, please contact us as soon as possible for more information. This project will only succeed if enough people have the vision to make it happen, and we have a limited time to achieve this. We hope it will be the first of many Eco-Hamlets, so it's a great opportunity to be there at the beginning. A Small Eco-Hamlet in Wales One of our members has almost completed negotiations to buy a small site in West Wales. It's a fair sized house with 6 acres of woodland and grass. The ultimate aim is to divide it into 3 small homes, and there is a potential building plot for a 4th house. To start with there will be rooms to rent, and hopefully it will be something rather different to a conventional shared house. Animals (both pets and livestock!) welcome, space to grow food, share work on the smallholding, and maybe car sharing too! Eco-Hamlets UK We're evolving into an organisation that brings people together, and helps to find sites to create small sustainable neighbourhoods. As we acquire knowledge, experience and documents, this will be available to share, so each new group doesn't have to redo the work. Visit http://www.eco-hamlets.org.uk for more information. |