In August of 2003, Isle of Wight planners gave outline planning approval for an eco-development of “14 low fossil energy living units for the 50 plus age group with associated community facilities and parking”. The project was to have a dual role of providing sustainable living to a mature community while acting as a demonstration project and educational facility, including organic garden for local young people.
The project, proposed by local group Gate Lane Cooperative, BEARS Youth Challenge and Afton Marsh Gate Ltd for a brownfield site at the rear of Sandpiper’s Glen, Freshwater Bay, was proposed for an envelope adjacent to an attractive, protected landscape in the west of the Isle of Wight. The brief adopted by Peter Ferns Architecture Ltd of Cowes was for a low energy, low maintenance development to last at least 80 years, based on passive solar heating for hot water, air conditioning and heating, based on a combination of traditional, new building and insulation techniques, with external white oak timber cladding intended to weather attractively into silver-grey.
Excellent Rating
The Sandpipers Glen development is designed around an endothermic energy system capable of providing continuous 24-hour heating or cooling throughout the year whilst cutting energy expenditure by between 50% and 70%. Instead of using solar panels collecting direct heat only, this technique also draws indirect heat energy through the roof and wall cladding system from temperature differentials present both day and night. This energy is then upgraded by a heat pump for heating and hot water provision, but the system is also capable of providing cooling during summer.
Tests by The Carbon Trust and Energy Saving Trust during winter 2004/5 confirmed this system can provide hot water and heating to a two bedroom family house for less than 40p/day. Although uncompleted, the current project has already been awarded “Excellent Rating” status under the Eco-Homes standard of the Building Research Establishment, now superseded by the Code for Sustainable Homes.
The system consists of a Sunergy roof collector made up of several hollow aluminium alloy extrusions, approved by the MoD and now used by several UK housing associations. The extrusions act as channels through which heat transfer fluid flows, propelled by a low powered circulating pump. Energy collected is transferred to underground heat stores, with a heat pump concentrating heat from a ‘low store’ and transferring it into a ‘high store’ for more useful output. An electronic control system regulates transfer of collected energy to the stores and its distribution by means of underfloor heating.
In addition to the Sunergy roof, apartments also have a living roof of flowering sedum (alpines) which are tough enough to withstand intense rainfall, delivering it to a reed bed, reducing runoff and risk of flooding from overloaded drainage systems. This feature is aimed at future-proofing against increasing rainfall intensity with climate change. All apartments also include grey water recycling and high efficiency outlets.
Other features include passive, static ventilation, thick, double skin concrete walls with 300mm cavity filled with rockwool or similar, heavily insulated walls, passive heating from conservatories, and south-facing windows with low emissivity glazing. The associated garden is the only feature completed as yet.
105 planning questions
With all-party support from councillors and senior planners, keen to see a leading edge demonstration project for the island, full planning approval was subsequently sought, and the developers were initially assured of a decision by December 2004.
Yet this was neither the beginning nor the end of an obstacle course of problems in which junior planning staff have seemed ill-equipped or unwilling to deal with the unconventional issues raised. The slowness of planners to get to grips with the development is all the more ironic given that a key aspect of the technology, the Sunergy roof, was developed in Freshwater 25 years ago but little known until recently.
The project was first mooted in 1999-2000. Intensive negotiations with the various stakeholders followed, with outline planning permissions not forthcoming until 2003, with strong public support and from councillors, but against resistance from officers.
Full planning permission was sought in late 2004, but there were repeated delays from December 2004 until final approval in May 2005, subject to 33 conditions. The delays led to the original backer dropping out, with another not being found until September 2006.
One hundred and five further queries arose from Council planning officers over this period.
To date, negotiations on planning conditions continue, with hopes of a start date early during 2007. The proposal has been sent out to two external consultants.
The applicants point out that without a supportive project team, strong public and cross-party councillor backing, they would never have pushed the scheme forward this far in the face of such apparent resistance from officers.
Lessons learned
It seems likely that the scheme will now go ahead in the near future. However, the torturous process would suggest junior planning staff dealing with unconventional applications will need a far better appreciation of sustainable building principles and objectives if schemes such as the Carbon Challenge are to have a significant impact on building practice.
In addition, with an unconventional project of this sort, it would be appropriate for one planning officer who is familiar with the case to be dedicated to handling the application, but in spite of this being the Council’s stated intention, the case was transferred between several officers at different times, leading to much time being lost.
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