New Purpose Built Eco Community Being Developed in Cornwall by Anna Barrington
Cornwall's first tailor-built "eco community" - described as an experiment in cutting-edge green and economical living and a potential model for the nation to follow - is coming to life in Hayle. The £3 million first phase of 12 houses is nearing completion in the Fairglen project, which is targeting near-zero energy bills for its occupants and is believed to be one of Britain's largest sustainable new communities currently under construction.
Its creators, Redruth-based Percy Williams and Sons Ltd, first conceived the £7.5 million scheme nearly a decade ago and have been working closely with the Government's Low Carbon Buildings Programme.
"What makes this scheme so unusual is that it is a whole collection of new eco homes - a mini- community - being designed and built at once, for the mainstream market, rather than the more typical schemes involving one-off individual properties for architects or wealthy clients," said Simon Williams, managing director of the developers.
"It is very much an experiment, with commercial gain not the immediate priority. Our company has been in business in Cornwall for nearly a century and we quite genuinely want to make a positive contribution to the continued advancement of sustainable living.We set out to see just how interested the public were in this concept - how ready they were to embrace the emerging technologies and buy in to the 'green' eco homes concept".
"We regard Fairglen as only semi-commercial from our viewpoint. The results will guide our future developments as a long-established home provider in Cornwall and will, we hope, act as something of a pilot for provision of new homes nationwide."
Seven of the three and four-bedroom houses now nearing completion off Loggans Road have already been sold. Buyers include the scheme's lead architect, John Stengelhofen, of Lilly Lewarne, who is relocating his family there.
Situated just off the coastal road to the beach, the new homes on the south-facing former nursery site benefit from "passive solar gain" - heating up naturally from the sun - and will use proven ground-source heat pumps, which extract heat for hot water and heating from boreholes 100 to 120 metres deep.
The properties have significantly higher insulation values than required under current building regulations, along with high efficiency heat recovery ventilation systems and photovoltaic roof systems. These systems achieve a net contribution to the national grid and effectively provide free electricity for residents. Features also include underfloor heating and rain water harvesting.
Mr Williams commented: "This is emphatically not just a token or a gesture in the direction of eco-building. The principle offers enormous gains for occupants and for the future of our planet. It is instructive, for instance, to note the current price of oil - at over a hundred dollars a barrel and rising - compared with the level of under 25 dollars when we first conceived the project!"
Fairglen is being built by John Nicholls Builders, of Goonhavern, and the five three and four- bedroom eco houses are still currently available in the first phase are priced from £250,000 to £330,000. A flood plain adjacent to the development is being converted by Percy Williams and Sons into a nature reserve.
Anna Barrington writes for Percy Williams and Sons. For more information about this development please visit Eco Homes in Cornwall. For latest news and happenings in the area please visit the eco homes blog.
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