The low-carbon home that just isn’t green enough
by Charlie Peverett in At home on 30.07.07
It’s bad news for the owners of the Roundhouse, known as one of the UK’s ‘greenest’ homes. Despite its rather dainty carbon footprint, it’s set to be demolished - apparently because it’s not of “positive environmental benefit”.
The Roundhouse was built in an area of national parkland on the Pembrokeshire coast in 1997. It boasts a roof insulated by grassy turf, straw bale walls and a reed-bed water filtration system - but no planning permission. After a decade of dispute, the National Park Authority has ruled that it doesn’t meet the location’s new criteria for sustainable development, so barring an intervention by the Welsh Assembly the Roundhouse looks set to be dismantled.
It’s a story that highlights the potential conflict between different versions of ‘green’. Campaigners for the Roundhouse argue that the house shows a sustainable, low-carbon way forward, and should be allowed to stand as a beacon for how the rest of us might plan for the future. Those against say that allowing it to remain would set a dangerous precedent for others thinking about a DIY build on protected land. David Cameron (and his neighbours) probably understand the same arguments after the long-running tussle over his rooftop wind turbine.
Commendable as the Roundhouse may be, its modest design probably won’t appeal to everyone seeking a low-energy life in the sticks. The Guardian contrasts it with another interesting development elsewhere in Pembrokeshire, one that looks like it’s carefully making sure it’s got all the right permission before a foundation is laid.
The Lammas eco-village plans to start with just nine homes, and will mix self-reliance (its own water supply and renewable energy) with connection to the existing community.
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