Smallholder

Sounds like you're ahead. I'd be very interested to hear about your experiences, and what feedback you got. Have you written about it anywhere?

We've been planting an acre of cider apple trees, but I hope that's more of a long term investment than this planning application will be! I'll heed that advice, and make a point of networking. I'd be interested to see how many vaguely similar projects there are in the local area

Something about a thin line between bravery and being a total eejit!? I've found some local self-builders that have used straw bales, and they seem to have got on well. But not yet found much in terms of fully off-grid. There's a cool place on the Mendips that has a large WETs system, and I went there recently for a presentation by the chap that designed and built it. That was very interesting. But good advice, I'll try to network and learn from other peoples projects

Thanks! The easy bit is having grand ideas. The next part will be harder.

Hi Folks! Having used BuildHub as a learning resource for a little while, I've pulled my finger out and got a sign-in. After a year of getting our ducks in line, we are about to apply for planning for a home on our smallholding in Somerset. It may be on the optimistic side, but we are aiming for an off-grid build, to passive house standards (intending to get certified), primarily from sustainable materials. The design is very close to complete now, and the next stage for us is to put our plans in front of a design review panel. Part of the reason for this, is that our planning application will be made under paragraph 80e (previously paragraph 79, before that paragraph 55). (A national planning policy, first established in 1997, which sets out various circumstances which can enable the erection of new isolated dwellings in the open countryside.) I understand that getting a good report from the design panel is a significant step towards success with this planning route. The fundamental plan is to try and build: A 4 bed detached home Concrete-free foundations Using load-bearing straw bale construction technique To achieve an overall carbon negative construction Off-grid A large PV array Several large lithium batteries for storage Bore hole for water WETs system to process grey/black water Achieving passive house certification We still have a lot to figure out, but I'm learning more every day. Thanks for everyone on here for contributing to BuildHub as an information resource.