Ecomotive has joined forces with a number of key national players in the creation of NaSBA, which aims to run a series of campaigns to increase the amount of sites which Local Authorities, central Government and other landowners set aside for self builders.  This is a very exciting collaboration which could result in a real turn around in opportunities for self build in the UK.  Especially with the increasing concerns of credit crunch which seems to be taking more casualties every day, from individuals to large corporations.

Self build and self finish housing provide the opportunities for the creation of homes which are not only more affordable, but give the self builders the chance to create a place which has a low impact on the environment, cheap to heat, and designed to their own needs.

NaSBA has just completed a first report aimed at central government and local authorities, to bring all those involved in housing and land decisions up to speed with the current self build market and immediate demand for building plots. The report will also help those involved in the provision of affordable housing and those promoting sustainable living practices to recognise self build as one of the key solutions to address some of the current housing problems.

Those involved include The National Self Build and Renovation Centre, Bath and District Self Build Association, Build It Magazine, Potton/Kingspan, Architecture Verte, and of course Ecomotive.

Energy bills are on the rise.  Pointswest news interviews Anna Hope inconjunction with the interview with Juliet Davenport from Good Energy on the rise of electricity costs and how to keep your bills down.  The opportunities seen through self build allow greater scope to incorporate renewable energy systems during development.

Watch it here 

The House of Lords Select Committee on the European Union visited the Ashley Vale self build project in Bristol as part of their research into home generation of Renewable Energy in conjunction with Good Energy.

The group consisted of Lord Freeman (Chairman), Lord Mitchell, James Whittle(Clerk), Petros Fassoulas (Committee Specialist) and Rob Gross (Specialist Adviser).

Further information can be found at   http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/FINALCallforEvidence1.doc

The CLA (Country Land and Business Association) says the Government should not be proposing eco-towns but providing for sustainable development in existing villages.

The rural economy experts are calling for the Government to use new housing as a way of improving the sustainability of existing rural communities.

The CLA wants a better mix of housing, jobs and services to secure the future of sustainable rural communities.   

Go to the CLA website to read more.  Click on their logo above. 

Following an obligation to reform the planning system to encourage more microgeneration installations in both the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 and their Microgeneration Strategy 2006, the Government laid a Statutory Instrument in the Houses of Parliament which became law on Sunday 6 April 2008.

This will mean that PV, Solar Thermal, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Micro-CHP, and Bio-mass technologies will not require planning permission. Please contact your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 for more info.

For details of the changes to planning consent on microgeneration, see the full briefing note briefing note (pdf 68.65kb)

When the construction of a new building is completed, the builder or person responsible for the construction is responsible for obtaining the certificate and providing it to the owner as of 6th April 2008.

Have a look at the planning portal for more info. 

Good report by Ben Ross about national housing delivery relating to sustainable issues.

See the forum for the future website.

Helping to make sustainable homes more affordable

Ecomotive is a social enterprise working to create more sustainable communities through supporting and enabling self-build and self-finish projects that have environmental, social and economic sustainability at their core.

Our work follows on from the success of the Ashley Vale self-build project in Bristol. We are using the knowledge, skills and experience we gained through our involvement in this scheme to help support many more community self-build projects get off the ground.

We aim to: Present an exciting and more affordable alternative to mainstream housing developments Help create more sustainable communities through engaging future residents throughout the design and construction process Explore ways of making home ownership more affordable to people on lower incomes Provide inspiration, advice, training and mentoring to people who want to develop their own community-led housing projects Help make homes more energy-efficient by offering a range of consultancy services including Code for Sustainable Homes assessment and SAP assessment.

 On this website you can:

• Sign up to our Self Build Training Course for Groups

• Find out more about our specialist consultancy services

• Check out details of Ecomotive's self-build and self-finish projects 

• Get inspired by reading about other community self builds

 

If you are interested in setting up your own community self-build project or would like to join in with an existing group to search for land, check out our exciting NEW website www.communitybuild.org.uk! 

Thanks to Unltd and Business West for their support in creating this resource.

The Ecomotive Team

The buildings of the old chocolate factory had been planned to be demolished by Persimmon Homes, but through the hard work and perseverance of the local community and the chocbox group , it looks like these building have been saved.  Various people gave evidence at the public inquiry including George Ferguson (Acanthus Ferguson Mann Artchitects) in relation to the architecture, Jackson Moulding (Ecomotive) on sustainability, Peter Lipman (Sustrans) on transport, Jari Moate (BEST) on employment, and Barry Pearce (Planning Aid) on consultation. 

The Bristol based property regeneration company, Squarepeg has now bought the Elizabeth Shaw Chocolate Factory site at Greenbank, Easton, and has publicly declared its intention to undertake a comprehensive consultation with the local community, before submitting a planning application to Bristol City Council.

There could be opportunities for self finish homes on the site, but at this early stage in the consultation process there are lots of variables which need resolving.  If you would like to feed into the consultation process have a look at the site set up by Squarepeg.

Friday and Saturday March 28th and 29th   10 - 4pm 

Homes for Good is already well known for showing ways to create sustainable buildings: from constructing buildings using local, natural materials, energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technology, to promoting lifestyles that help reduce consumption, save energy and make sustainable living easy.

This year’s exhibition is taking place in the Showering Pavilion at the Bath and West’s royal county showground.

Homes for Good Website

The mission: to build an eco-home. The budget: laughable. The secret weapon: straw. The Independent finds out how one man got back to nature – and how you can build a den the same way.  Go to Independent site to see the article. Click below to take you there.

Check it out 

The office block in St Werburghs, the final piece to the Ashley Vale site in Bristol, has received planning permission for six flats and the ground floor to house workspace and a community facility. Progress is underway to get the renovation rolling.

Ashley Vale Action Group (AVAG) in conjunction with the 'occupants to be' are setting up a common-hold company which will own the building. The six sets of occupants will then own their own flat as a leasehold to the commonhold.  This way the commonhold can take ownership of the renovation, ensuring the development meets the standards it sets and keeps the overal costs down.

The current plan is to provide communal heating using a wood pellet boiler system, supported by solar hot water panels and some PV.  Funding is being looked into, and hopefully the Low Carbon Building Programme is able to support community projects!

The whole of the building will also of course be externally insulated, and triple glazing is currently being budgeted in.