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Always featuring numerous articles on a wide range of eco-building projects from all around the UK, most of which are written by the very people that designed or built them. It is the ideal read for architects, builders, developers, self builders and anyone interested in eco-building, including interested homeowners/clients.
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Permission granted for simple woodland home |
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23 Jul 2012, 10:26 PM
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Living deep in Gover Valley woods, Cornwall, a humble craftsman who battled back from homelessness is building a new life for himself. Cornwall councillors ruled with their hearts instead of their heads on Wednesday last week when they granted retrospective planning permission for a true eco-home.
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Engineer, carpenter and guitar-maker Graham Burt lost his home of 18 years in Falmouth in 2007, unable to pay the mortgage.
Left with no choice but to live in his van, he used the proceeds from the sale of his house to buy land at Carne Stents, Gover Valley, on an abandoned clay drying site. On it he constructed a new home, harvesting rainwater as he is not connected to mains water or electricity.
It has a kitchen, a bathroom, bedroom, wood-burning stove and an old coach he uses as a shed.
His faithful canine companion Arf, rescued six years ago, – has stood by his side throughout the whole ordeal.
"I'm so excited," said Mr Burt. "If the application had been refused my only option was to comply and I'd have been back to living in a van."
The application was recommended for refusal by Cornwall Council's planning officers, but the tale of his struggle to keep afloat in today's fiscal climate touched the committee members, meeting at St Austell.
"I ask for Cornwall Council to give me the opportunity to finish what I started and generate a home for myself," he said at the meeting. He described his vision to build a permanent, sustainable house in the woods with its own vegetable patch.
Officers voiced concerns that allowing residential use would set a precedent, and that the standard of housing was not high enough.
Vice-chairman Steve Eva said: "We're talking about that gentleman living in that perhaps for the rest of his life, and I don't think it's right," but Councillor Geoff Brown argued: "There are 24,000 people on the housing waiting list and I don't intend to make it 24,001."
Permission was granted by seven votes to four, on condition the house is considered an affordable dwelling.
Credits:: This is Cornwall
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