THE dale’s community composting group is planning to building a new eco-centre and office to showcase the best of “green design”.
Teesdale Community Volunteers, better known as Rotters, has been operating from a small wooden office near Startforth for the past two decades. The structure has now reached the limit of its lifespan.
Now they plan to replace it with an eco-friendly, low cost, self-sustaining building. It will also serve as an education area.
Rotters had originally been granted planning permission to replace its ageing offices in 2007. Martin Bacon, of Rotters, said: “That was a kit building. It was too expensive – about £200,000 – and we couldn’t get any funding so the planning permission lapsed.
“Last summer we were looking for an architect who is into green buildings and we found Paul Hunt, of Dark Skies Design, in Baldersdale
“He designed it so we can just start building it with volunteers and we don’t need a great amount of money.”
The design is for a building with a living roof and wall covered with plants, solar panels along steep roofing for energy and incorporating a greenhouse to grow vegetables on site. Mr Bacon said: “We wanted something that can demonstrate what is practical and what is useful.”
Part of the design will be a “tech room” where the amount of solar energy is recorded, as well as how much “black” and “grey” water is produced. Black water is basically sewage, while grey water is recycled from activities such as washing and is to be used to irrigate the greenhouse and the living wall.
Along with a new office, the design incorporates a canteen for volunteers and a teaching area where Rotters hopes to host workshops and training sessions. Workshops could include vegetable growing, bee-keeping and chicken hutch building.
Mr Bacon said: “It is all about being self-reliable. Coronavirus has taught us lot – we sold so many raised beds because people were scared about food security. It has shown us all we must be more self-reliable.”
The scheme aims to return Rotters to the ethos it had more than a decade ago when the group ran a “veg van” which delivered vegetables, eggs and honey produced by the community volunteers.
Mr Bacon’s wife, Jill ,said: “People didn’t get the concept at that time – it was too new. If we had done it now it might have taken off.”
The planning application has already won one letter of support with Bowes resident Phil Hughes saying: “I believe [it] will make a significant contribution to the understanding and promotion of sustainable development principles and techniques, both within Teesdale, through working with individuals and school groups, and further afield by offering opportunities for visitors to Teesdale.”
