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Lots of people come on
our natural building courses and say: 'I want to buy some land in
the countryside, build a natural house, and run a smallholding'.
Hmmmm....... good luck. It's an extremely difficult and expensive
thing to do in this country, and most people who are determined
to do it end up going abroad.
We think
it's very important for ordinary people to take back control of
the land, to be able to provide the basic necessities of life for
themselves and for the local community - produced organically, and
in a way that enhances the environment rather than damaging it.
if...............
If LILI initiated a project, in partnership with a local authority
somewhere in the country, to set up a land-based project consisting
of small plots (5 acres or less), leased or sold to plot-holders,
with planning permission to build a home, but with very strict eco-criteria
regarding the building and the use of land - would you be interested?
We have
to stress the word 'IF'. At the moment, we are only trying to find
out how much interest there would be in a project like this. Please
don't contact us with questions - if you register your interest
and give us your email address (below), we'll let you know as soon
as there is anything to tell.
eco-criteria
If the project progresses, then there would be very strict legally-binding
criteria attached to the plots, overseen by LILI and inspected by
the local authority. We don't know exactly what these criteria would
be yet, but here's a rough idea:
- land: must be used
productively; organic; 20 trees planted per acre
- buildings:
controls on size, height and appearance; local / natural materials;
no cement
- electricity: off-grid
- wind & solar
- heating: wood stoves,
solar hot water, passive solar / thermal mass design, ground source
heat pumps
- water:
rainwater harvesting, springs
- sewage: compost toilets,
reed beds, ponds, waste water for irrigation
- plus other conditions
on waste, vehicles, and occupation of dwellings
interested?
These kinds of criteria, and this kind of life, won't be for everyone
- but we think that lots of people will be up for it. Are you?
Let us
know if this is something you might be interested in, by submitting
your email address, and we'll let you know as soon as there's any progress.
more
on land & planning |
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a group of
potential members of the Lammas
land project in Pembrokeshire meet for a picnic and discussion before they were successful in their planning application
Simon
Dale has built a beautiful low-impact house - all natural materials
and no straight lines!
there's no
reason that the British countryside should be de-populated; low-impact
settlements can increase biodiversity, and enhance local economies,
the environment, and people's lives
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