Bob has always been interested in building and
planning, and he spent some years working in an architect’s
office before he ran away to sea.
However, it was when he was working for BBC local radio in
Shropshire on a documentary about sustainable agriculture
that he was inspired to try his hand at designing a modern,
ecologically-sound estate.
‘I drew up a scheme for
60 houses surrounded by woods with their own energy source,
waste recycling plant and so forth. I took it to the local
planning authority, who told me to forget it. It would need
an act of parliament to get it built on virgin land in that
area.’
Instead he bought the bankrupt Six Bells pub, re-licensed
it and, on the land behind the pub, got planning permission
for five prototype ‘eco-houses’.
Both the pub and the houses were a success. In fact, so much
so that a local landowner who had outline planning permission
for a modern estate on the outskirts of the town offered it
to Bob instead of putting the acres up for general auction.
And that is where Bob is now building his 40-house eco-neighbourhood,
The Wintles. It is unlike any other estate in the country.
And yet it is inspired by the nature and form of the houses
in the old town of Bishop's Castle. The Swedish-style, clapboard
properties are grouped around small greens which have been
arranged to form an environment that favours pedestrians rather
than cars.
Each house is built from locally sourced, recycled materials
and has a large area of glass on the south and west sides
that lets the sunlight warm the interior. The walls, floors
and roofs have unusually thick insulation to keep the heat
in, while there are no draughts because of the high specification
of the construction. Heat-recovery units have been installed
to use the outgoing hot air to heat the incoming fresh air
that is filtered to remove pollen and other irritants. Solar-panelled
water heaters are standard and water-recycling systems are
available as an optional extra.
Meanwhile, the houses are designed in the traditional manner
of a ‘cruck’ house by using thick timbers in an
angular arch to support the walls and roof.
Bob’s design means that the internal layout of each
house is flexible, so that no two houses on The Wintles are
the same. Amazingly, all the design and building are being
done without an architect.
‘I sketch out what
I want,’ he says. ‘The builder looks at my sketch
to see whether he can make it work. And then the project manager
and the site manager have their input. Even the craftsmen
are consulted.’
This shared responsibility and the attention to detail have
made the houses far grander than the average new build.
‘If we produce houses that look like any other modern houses,
despite the fact that they are ecologically superior, they
will be difficult to sell,’ says Bob.
‘Instead, we have put in oak floors, solid wooden doors
and other touches to highlight and help pay for the things
that people don’t see. And so, while the houses are
more expensive than a normal estate house, they are also better
built and finished. The result is that we are still making
a profit. We are proving that it is possible to build an environmentally
interesting estate and make money.’ |
