Green Belt Planning Permission?

lessonlearned

Going back to land usage......

It is relatively easy to build a sustainable Eco home if you have a large area on which to build, space for recycling systems, alternative technologies etc.

The clever stuff comes by utilising smaller parcels of land and achieving similar results. Much harder when you have a postage stamp sized plot. So your Idea of wanting to use your build as some kind of "blueprint" might not hold water - at least not as far as the planning dept are concerned.

It might be more useful (from the planning depts point of view) to demonstrate the advantages of an Eco build which could be rolled out on smaller plots - which is why I mentioned that 8 units are more likely to get permission than one dwelling.

I mentioned I have a piece of land. I made preliminary enquiries with a contact I have in the planning dept - nothing official more an over the garden fence chat and he told me that they would look more favourably on my application if I bult two three bedroom semis rather than one four bedroomed detached property.

They do look for the best utilisation of the plot when making decisions. It's often about increasing the overall available housing stock.

Just down the road from where I live, they built 10 eco homes on a very modest plot., probably smaller than the one you are wanting to build on. The houses are small, just two bedroom terraced properties, but perfect for city living. They are attractive, well built and very environmentally friendly., they sold like hot cakes.

The demand is there. We need to go down this route, to protect precious resources. Eco builds should not just be the preserve of the fortunate few who can afford to live in Elysium fields.

True Eco builds should not be land hungry.

I'm not critcising you for wanting to put one dwelling on a piece of land that can probaby sustain several homes so don't get all huffy again. I would love to live in splendid isolation........

Im just pointing out that your arguments about sustainability don't really hold up to close scrutiny. The LA will put your application under a magnifying glass, will your arguments withstand that.

Local authorities are under pressure to release building land to increase housing stock, not to indulge our dreams for rural living.

As Dave says you stand a much better chance of achieving your goal if you are prepared to convert an existing structure.

freshfruitbandit

I appreciate your comments, your advice and the time taken to give them, but please don't expect me to say nothing when you put words in my mouth and then call me 'touchy' 'huffy' and the other crass comments when i merely defend myself. Patronising comments about 'being chewed up' and needing to 'toughen up' are uncalled for and immature. I've never dealt with builders on a residential project, but i have countless times on large scale commercial projects where renewables are being installed. You say renewables to builders and most of the time they roll their eyes, so thanks for your concern but i'm happy with my abilities to deal with builders. Perhaps these crass somewhat veiled and unnecessary comments can stop now.

No, i don't think the plot could sustain 8 homes. The access road is too small to cope with the increased traffic of at least 8 cars consistently and the constant vans delivering supermarket and online goods. The roads are narrow, with tight corners and we've already had issues with large delivery vans taking chunks out of stone walls.

I also believe many of the renewables can be easily implemented into a project of numerous smaller properties. For example, we have a couple of sources of waste timber in the area yet as far as i am aware there isn't one log gasification boiler installed in a property around here. Recycling rain water can be done efficiently with under ground tanks.

The aspects where i would like space is mainly about growing as much of my own vegetables as possible and keeping some chickens. Which does require necessary space.

As i've stated a couple of times, i'm under no illusion about the challenge that i face, but likewise i know it's possible and examples to show this are all over the country. I've spoken to two Architects who specialise in Para55, one of whom has been successful in all 9 para 55 projects he has undertaken.

freshfruitbandit

This is great;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33544831

lessonlearned

freshfruitbandit wrote: »

My father owns a 1.3 acre plot of land that is at the bottom of his garden. It is linked to his garden through a small pedestrian gate and he has owned it for about 8 years. It used to be owned by the railways. It already has an access route to a road through a large gate.

It's a very rural and secluded plot of land with only one large property able to have any view of it at all.

I'd love to be able to build a modern 4 bed innovative eco home for my family on this plot of land. I want to build a property that uses things such as solar, wind, ground heat and recycled rain water to keep it's carbon footprint and utility bills to a minimum. I'd love to have my own veggie patch, keep chickens and have a garden that my kids can play football etc in.

I haven't yet started to find out how hard planning would be or what i need to do in a situation like this and was wondering if anyone, particularly architects have any advice about the best way to try and get planning permission granted or how likely it is to get it.

Thanks

You came on here asking for advice, I gave it......

It's obviously not what you wanted to hear so we'll leave it that.

Good luck with your project.

freshfruitbandit

lessonlearned wrote: »

You came on here asking for advice, I gave it......

It's obviously not what you wanted to hear so we'll leave it that.

Good luck with your project.

You could quiet easily have done it without the silly ignorant jibes, but that was your choice. If thats the way you talk to people then you are right, it's not what i want to hear. Manners and respect cost nothing. I've made no jibe to you what so ever, i expect to be treated the same.

Good day.

lessonlearned

freshfruitbandit wrote: »

You could quiet easily have done it without the silly ignorant jibes, but that was your choice. If thats the way you talk to people then you are right, it's not what i want to hear. Manners and respect cost nothing. I've made no jibe to you what so ever, i expect to be treated the same.

Good day.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

That's a very high horse you have climbed on to.

POPPYOSCAR

Doozergirl wrote: »

Councils and locals do not. Therein lies the rub.

I think that is also changing, at least it is with our council.


They have recently let our neighbour 'convert' and I use the term loosely, a building next to his house into a 4 bedroom house.We were very surprised when it was granted.


This would never have been granted permission a few years ago.


They have also granted permission for a new housing estate much against the wishes of the locals.

lessonlearned

I don't think local councils have a great deal of choice. They have been ordered by central government to free up more land and provide more housing. Planning laws are considerably more relaxed than they were.

I sold the family home in 2012. It backed onto open fields. For over 20 years developers had made countless applications and the council threw them out. The developers even appealed to the DoE at one stage but they also threw it out.

Then when central government changed their policies a few years ago, the council was forced to acqueisce, despite one of the fields being a SSSI. In order to keep the SSSI fileld This has meant that access is less than ideal and it has made life awkward for both the developers and residents alike.

The council wanted to keep this area as "green wedge" to avoid more surburban sprawl but obviously they were overruled. 1500 houses will be built.

It is a shame but then the city is growing, the population is rising, industtry is thriving and people want and need somewhere to live within reasonable striking distance of the commercial and industrial centres.

Short of a pandemic which wipes out 30 or 40 percent of the population there doesn't seem to be much alternative but to build.

It just goes to,prove the old adage though "persistence pays off" those developers sat on that land for at least 40 years to my knowledge, making countless applications and appeals over the years.

martindow

freshfruitbandit wrote: »

Profit is not a dirty word, but developers building boring, uninspiring properties that do very little expect drain our resources and increase traffic and noise are, in my opinion a problem. To pay £500k for that, no way. Which is why i determined to prove that there are alternatives to this.

The difference surely is that for most houses the cost of the land on which they are built is considerable. With your project you are in the lucky position of being given the land so you are only looking at the costs of construction and can't be directly compared to the £500k house.

freshfruitbandit

lessonlearned wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

That's a very high horse you have climbed on to.

Being polite to someone and showing them basic manners and respect is someone on a 'very high horse'. Speaks volumes about you. I have no further wish to converse with you or hear your opinions on any subject matter. Life is too short to spend time on rude people.