Andy James – Our Green Homes
As a member of Penistone Friends of the Earth, I was involved in organising a ‘Homes Fit for the Future’ meeting a few years ago. There is a lot of housing proposed locally, and the group were (and still are) very concerned about its environmental impact. We acknowledged that housing needed to be built but despaired at the locations that were being used and the type and environmental standards of the housing that was being built. We invited members of the council planning department to the meeting and they were keen to see more sustainable housing. But they said they could only approve that sort of housing if developers submitted plans for it. We also invited a speaker about Passivhaus design and another about Custom build.
The combination of these concepts was the start of my idea to build my own small housing project, to show housing developments can be sustainable, affordable and tailored to the people living in them. For this type of housing to be built by other developers, it also has to be economically viable and for the process to be no more complex than an ordinary development. I hope to be able to use this as a demonstration project and want to pass on my experiences and tips to others, to encourage more sustainable housing around the country.
I brought these additional people into the project team:
Paul Testa – Architect
Paul is an Architect based in Sheffield, who has sustainability and energy efficiency at the core of his designs. He has designed several Passivhaus buildings before and was an obvious choice to work with. He has helped to develop the plans from the very beginnings, before we even had a site in mind, to the latest versions you can see on this website. You can see some of his previous designs and look at the development of other Passivhaus projects on the Paul Testa Architecture website.
Susan Crowley – Planning Consultant
Susan is a planning consultant based in Sheffield and has provided advice on planning, design and development of the project. She negotiates with Sheffield planning department on our behalf. You can see information and some of her previous projects on the Crowley Associates website.
Paul Irwin – Highways Consultant
Paul has looked into the traffic and highways issues around the site and has drawn up plans to improve the situation for current and new residents. He will continue to make amendments based on feedback from the council and attendees at the exhibition. You can see more information about Fore Consulting on their website.
Andrew Lockwood – Noise Consultant
Andrew has carried out noise surveys at the site and modelled the local sources of noise. He has written a report based on the results and come up with recommendations of ways to reduce the noise at Bramble Row, both inside and outside the houses. You can see more about his company Acoustic Design Technology on their website.
Civic Engineers – Drainage Survey
Engineers came to do our drainage survey, to find out whether the existing drains can manage the extra sewage/waste water and run-off or whether upgrades are needed. You can see more about Civic Engineers on their website.
Rachel Gibbons – Website and promotion
Rachel, also a member of Penistone Friends of the Earth, has created this website, the facebook page and displays and will produce other printed materials and keep everything up to date. You will hear back from her if you contact Our Green Homes and she will try to help with your queries. She has created websites for and promoted several local community and environmental organisations such as Penistone Leisure Centre. She has no website of her own yet as she’s too busy doing other people’s.