{"id":104,"date":"2015-07-27T15:51:47","date_gmt":"2015-07-27T14:51:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theoneplanetlife.com\/?p=104"},"modified":"2017-08-18T12:50:25","modified_gmt":"2017-08-18T11:50:25","slug":"an-urban-permaculture-passivhaus-eco-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theoneplanetlife.com\/cy\/an-urban-permaculture-passivhaus-eco-community\/","title":{"rendered":"An Urban Permaculture Passivhaus Eco-Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Heathcott<\/a><\/p>\n

A plan of the development generated by architects RG+P<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

We can get a glimpse of a sustainable, one planet urban community might be like by looking at existing projects. Presently, the largest permaculture-based, Passivhaus urban eco-community in Europe, is being developed in Leicester, England. When finished, the settlement will contain 68 homes for rent at affordable rates for essential workers.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is happening on the site of former, disused Whittier Road land on Heathcott Road, Leicester. The developer is\u00a0East Midlands Homes<\/a>, a provider of affordable housing, in partnership with\u00a0Westleigh Homes<\/a>.\u00a0Westleigh is taking on new apprentices to learn building skills to help construct the homes.<\/p>\n

At the edge of the site will be a farm, to be run on Permaculture principles, on which residents will be encouraged to work, to grow their own fruit, vegetables, other foodstuffs and supplies. When finished it will provide an urban oasis. The field pond will be refreshed, and hedgerows reinstated to connect a wildlife corridor on Saffron Heath, creating a diverse wildflower meadow and planting 800 new trees, many of which will be fruit trees, on the site.<\/p>\n

Saffron Lane Neighbourhood Council (SLNC)<\/a>, a charity and social enterprise, is behind the \u201cBuilding a Greener Future\u201d project.
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\nThe site already contains a community garden, and has produced everything from striped beetroot and blue pumpkins, supplying a range of local restaurants with specialised herbs and vegetables and supporting local community projects, including their own brand and jam. This work is expected to expand upon completion of the estate.<\/p>\n

The Neighbourhood Council exists “to provide a range of services to support disadvantaged residents of the Saffron Lane Estate and environs to reach their full potential”. Its resource centre is around the corner from the 12 acre site.<\/p>\n

Passivhaus homes<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 68 houses will be constructed according to Passivhaus principles which means that the annual running costs per year for heating will be just \u00a313 per home, according to\u00a0Standard Assessment Procedure<\/a>\u00a0software calculations (used by all developers to comply with Building Regulations). The majority of homes in the UK are constructed to level 3 of the\u00a0Code for Sustainable Homes<\/a>, meaning that homes comparable to these would use about 8801kWh per year and cost \u00a3735 per year to run.<\/p>\n

Passivhaus is a standard for energy use in all building types. The homes will be of energy-efficient design, oriented to face south with increased south facing glass, super-insulated and with effective window shading and ventilation and moisture control, plus minimized building surface-to-volume area, protected from wind and with the cooler service spaces located on the northerly side.<\/p>\n

The Standard requires the following:<\/p>\n