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 & smallholding

a group of potential members of the proposed Lammas land project in Pembrokeshire meet for a picnic and discussion

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