Climate change is an issue which is going to impact all aspects of our lives, including our homes and how they are built and run. Julie Blackburn takes a look at a proposed development in Castletown which has put sustainability at the heart of its design concept.

’This is not just an off-the-shelf, run of the mill development, it’s really a new living concept for the south. We see it as a step change really,’ said architect Phil Chadwick.

Phil is a member of the team put together by Simon and Caroline Riggall, owners of the Great Meadow estate which includes the proposed site. The team shares a vision to provide more housing and community facilities for Castletown, constructed and delivered in a way that is quite different from anything that has gone before.

Phil explained: ’This land was put forward in response to what was identified in the revisions to the Southern Plan for a need for housing within the south and an identified need specifically within the Castletown town boundary.

’We’re also taking the opportunity to respond to the need for more aged care provision as well and we see that as very much part of the overall concept.’

Of paramount importance to the team, and to the Riggalls especially, has been the idea of working with the natural landscape and respecting the environment. The family has spent the last 10 years changing the farmland on the Great Meadow estate to organic production, with all 230 acres achieving full organic status in 2018.

Simon said: ’Over the years we have planted well over 2,500 trees around the estate and created a four-acre lake below the [Southern] show field which has seen an abundance of wildlife and we now have swans nesting. An area has also been set aside for local beekeepers to put hives in.

’The ecological side of the site is pretty important to me.’

The estate has employed a full time stone mason for the last five years, to restore and repoint all the stonework, and the layout for the proposed site has been structured to fit within the existing stone walls and principle hedgerows, rather than ripping them out as would normally be the case.

Architect Rob Irving, another member of the team, added: ’The site has given us what we believe is a unique proposal: it’s given us a lot of opportunities to create some really nice areas which are the ecological reserve, the open green spaces, the grassland meadow and the allotments.’

The application at this stage is for planning in principle so details of the house design won’t be finalised unless the plan passes. But here too there is a clear vision.

Phil said: ’The housing at Great Meadow offers a unique opportunity for sustainable living and it is envisaged that the homes will be exemplars in respect of their energy efficiency.

’It is intended that they will embody the principles of Passive Haus for efficiency, be low carbon in their use of materials and use measures to reduce energy consumption. It is also envisaged that there will be an emphasis on the ecology and environment incorporating all the positive aspects of landscape, pathways, active trails and areas that encourage good biodiversity.

’The applicants aspire to see this development as being at the forefront of responsible eco design.’

This way of thinking is clearly in line with a continuing cultural shift as people give more consideration to the environment in every purchase they make, from plastic products to cars.

It’s especially noticeable among young people who will have to live with the consequences of actions taken now a long way into the future. Local schoolchildren have made their views clear in demonstrations and school strikes and the Isle of Man Student Network has attracted hundreds of signatures in support of a plan to include ground source heating and other eco-friendly features into the plans to rebuild Castle Rushen School.

It has also been widely publicised that Isle of Man Government is banning the use of fossil fuel boilers in new build homes after 2025.

Phil went on to explain that enforcing new environmental standards will fall under Building Control and that DEFA is currently updating documents to reflect these changes. This means that the team’s vision for the Great Meadow site is more about their belief that this is the right thing to do, rather than new rules enforcing eco standards on them.

He said: ’At present the Building Regulations are not as stringent as any self imposed standards for Passive Haus etc. It is all emerging as a part of climate change and efforts by governments to hit targets for CO2 reduction and reduce reliance on the use of fossil fuels. Enlightened developers, authorities and builders who care will seek to establish higher levels of sustainability.’

Simon said: ’This is an extremely thoughtful proposal from the team we’ve put together in terms of meeting some of the points that we wanted to deal with for Castletown: it’s not going to be very dense and it’s not going to be similar to any other development in the Isle of Man.

’I want to do this for the people of Castletown in terms of making it affordable and interesting.’

Phil added: ’Castletown needs good quality and sustainable housing. It’s an investment in Castletown and in the needs of Castletown.’

â?¢ The plans for the site can be viewed at www.greatmeadowestate.im.