Eco Homes: Small Holdings In Wales

The Tir y Gafel ecovillage aspires to be a replicable model for low-impact development in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Nine families lived there at the time of this filming. They are self sustainable: living off the grid, producing food, having built low impact houses using alternative energy sources.

They are taking advantage of legislation in Wales which allows low impact sustainable communities to go build eco-small holdings on open countryside. Under the TAN 6 Policy Guidance (Welsh Assembly Government), there is now a planning framework which accommodates low-impact development. Think of it as getting a little help and encouragement from the government to live off the land. And bring the land BACK!

Using permaculture techniques, they are making marginally productive land into maximally food producing land. They are aiming for a 40% increase in productivity. They have plenty of volunteers who simply want to learn the techniques to be able to live this way. Says one resident: "I don't think governments are going to provide the solution to the challenges. I don't think our economic system or our corporate structures are going to provide the solutions we need. I think solutions are going to come from people."

Website: Lammas

Living In The Future # 28: Open House

Lammas ecovillage in Pembrokeshire host their first Volunteer Week and Open Day in Spring 2010.150 people attended Lammas' first ever tour of the project. Visitors were guided around the site to view the developments to date. Lammas attained planning permission to build an ecovillage in Wales which combines the traditional smallholding model with the latest innovations in environmental design, green technology and permaculture.

Living In The Future # 27: Ffynone Woods

Ffynone Woodland in West Wales is sustainably managed by Growing Heart Workers' Co-operative and provides some of the wood for building at Lammas ecovillage

Living In The Future # 26: Snowed In

Snow at Lammas ecovillage causes enforced hibernation. Building works have been put on hold at Lammas when freezing weather conditions hit the site. Such conditions have not been experienced in this part of the world for many years.Once the snow and ice pass works will begin again at Lammas. Some residents are focusing on tree planting, others on landscaping and others on building.

Living In The Future # 25: Sanford

Sanford is a fully mutual housing co-operative. It is run entirely by its members who make decisions each month at management meetings and periodically through general meetings. Located in South East London in the borough of Lewisham and own all of Sanford Walk. The 130 rooms and six flats were purpose built as a single persons co-op in 1971 by a core of founding members.

There are 14 houses which are each shared by eight to 10 people. Each person has their own room with wash basin and shares three toilets, a farmhouse kitchen, a shower room and a bath room. The housing is not appropriate for couples or people with dependant children (or dogs, though there are many cats) nor do we have facilities for people with disabilities.

Sanford has a somewhat bohemian culture with many artists and performers living here. Sanfordians have had a long tradition of an annual party with local musical talent, we have just started a tradition of performing an annual play having done Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare) and Wyrd Sisters (Pratchet).

Environmentalism is a priority of many who live at Sanford and we have undertaken a large innovative project to reduce our carbon emissions by 60%. The C60 project uses biomass and solar to reduce our carbon footprint. There are many keen cyclists on the street too and this has been combined with the periodic performances into the Recyclestage project, a combined bike shed and stage from recycled materials.

Living In The Future # 24: Building With Mud

Heavy autumn rains have made progress difficult for the ecovillage pioneers in Pembrokeshire, but they have still built two beautiful reciprocal frame roundhouses.

Living In The Future # 23: Steward Wood

Steward Wood is a low impact community living in Dartmoor National Park. They have just received 5 year temporary planning permission to continue their experimental project.

Living In The Future # 22: New Beginnings

Months on from being granted planning permission, and four of the families are now living on site, with the other 5 families rounding up their affairs and getting ready to move. The trackways and water networks are under construction and some of the families have begun building. The autumn weather has been kind to so far and whilst the weather turns colder, activity on the land is beginning to warm up. Lammas is starting to take shape.

Living In The Future # 21: Sundance Renewables

Dr Larch Maxey is planning a year fossil fuel free - starting with biodiesel so he visits Sundance Renewables, a not-for-profit social enterprise. Organised as a workers co-operative and committed to increasing renewable energy systems in Wales. They help community regeneration through a sustainable approach and intend for any surplus profits to be used to support other community renewable energy projects.

Living In The Future # 20: Coed Hills Rural Artspace

Coed Hills Rural Artspace is a great place to learn about low impact living.

Coed Hills Visitor Centre is situated in the picturesque Vale of Glamorgan, just 8 miles west of Cardiff. In an area packed with ancient history and breathtaking beaches, Coed (pronounced 'coyd’, a Welsh word meaning "woods") is a family day out that could change the way you view the world.

The whole site is run on alternative energy, from high-tech wind turbines and biomass underfloor heaters, to solar showers made out of scrap radiators. With its permaculture gardens, the place is an inspiration for the budding and more experienced eco-conscious. Residents and volunteers live in railway carriages, Mongolian Yurts, log cabins, tipis and straw bailed buildings.
At the heart of Coed Hills lies the core community. A group of people embracing the new and old in order to lead a more sustainable existence, both ecologically and socially. Since the autumn equinox, in the last quarter of 2008, there have been great changes at Coed. The number of residents has grown, bringing new energy that has allowed some great projects to develop throughout the last few months including exciting new structures growing in the forest and a woodland camp area with earth oven and sculptural stove. Visitors can take some aspect of our existence away with them and adapt it to their own lifestyle. The community is happy to engage with visitors, sharing their knowledge of, and enthusiasm for sustainable living.

Living In The Future # 19: Hooray !

Lammas finally get planning for their ecovillage in West Wales.Pembrokeshire's new planning policy on Low-Impact Development is a groundbreaking policy which sets out a new approach to sustainable development in the countryside. Lammas attained planning permission to build an ecovillage in Wales which combines the traditional smallholding model with the latest innovations in environmental design, green technology and permaculture.The proposal is for a new settlement of 9 eco-smallholdings, a campsite and a community hub building. It is sited on 76 acres of mixed pasture and woodland next to the village of Glandwr, Pembrokeshire

Living In The Future # 18: The Trial

Will Lammas get Planning Permission?

Living In The Future # 17: Waking The Land

Lammas have bought their land- and are starting to work it!

Low-impact development provides an unprecedented opportunity for the repopulation of the countryside by people committed to land-based, environmentally-conscious living.

Lammas aims to demonstrate that it is possible to live a modern lifestyle which does not cost the earth. Human beings are, through living on the land, able to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with the natural world which is able to support both a wildlife and a human culture.

We, as human beings, are dependant on the earth for our needs. We are an intrinsic part of the web of life, indeed we hold a privileged position. With good stewardship the potential for diversity and abundance is enormous. We believe this can best be achieved by bringing together the enlightened management of our natural world and integrating it with the management of the land to meet our own needs. This requires a personal and intimate connection with our environment, and requires people living and working with the natural rhythms and cycles that form our world.

Living In The Future #16: That Roundhouse

That Roundhouse is an ecohome of wood frame, cobwood and recycled window walls, straw-insulated turf roof; with solar power and wind turbine for electricity, compost toilet and reed beds for grey water. We designed and built it over the winter 1997/8, and it was turned down for planning permission several times.
After several court appearances, we decided to demolish it over Easter 2004, but changed our minds after demonstrations of huge public support in its defence. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority attempted to get a court injunction to force us to demolish it, but were persuaded to allow it to stay up until July 2006, when we could re-apply under their new Low Impact Policy.
Our new application was considered for six months as we negotiated over all the points of the policy that we had to satisfy. After a refusal in 2007 and several deferrals while Faith (was Jane) worked on a joint application with Emma who lives in a roundhouse across the fields, by a 9 -2 vote on Monday 15th Sept 2008 the committee voted to give us and her planning permission, conditional for three years. This is Good News.

Living In The Future #15: Rachel Shiamh's Strawbale House

Rachel Shiamh's two storey straw bale house in Pembrokeshire.
Straw-bale construction is a building method that uses straw bales as structural elements, insulation, or both. It is commonly used in natural building. It has advantages over some conventional building systems because of its cost, easy availability, and its high insulation value
This house was the first two-storey load-bearing strawbale structure to be built in the UK and only the second in Europe. The design brief, set by owner Rachel Shiamh, was to build a beautiful, low impact strawbale home which had to be sensitive to its natural environment, self-sustaining and made from natural and mainly local materials.

Living In The Future #14: The Design Council For Wales

Paul Wimbush speaks to Cindy Harris from The Design Commission for Wales about sustainable building and why they support the Lammas Ecovillage Project.

Living In The Future # 13: A Gathering Of Clans

Lammas is currently applying for planning permission to build an ecovillage in Wales which combines the traditional smallholding model with the latest innovations in environmental design, green technology and permaculture.
The proposal is for a new settlement of 9 eco-smallholdings, a campsite and a community hub building. It will be sited on 76 acres of mixed pasture and woodland next to the village of Glandwr, Pembrokeshire.

As Lammas awaits planning permission, what concerns the new residents?

Living In The Future # 12: The Application

Lammas have resubmitted their plans for an ecovillage in West Wales, and all the potential residents can do is wait...

Living In The Future # 11: Land Matters In Devon

Land Matters community in Devon

Living In The Future # 10: Permission To Plan

Lammas begin their planning journey with Pembrokeshire Council