PLANNING chiefs at Warrington are being urged to throw out innovative plans for an “eco-house” described as “one of the lowest impact builds in the country, paving the way for the truly environmental designs of the future.”
The house – to be known as Orchard House – would be built on vacant Green Belt land off Warrington Road, Hatton – just north of the existing Briar Cottage.
It has won the support of environmental architect and author Sofie Pelsmakers (pictured below), founder of Architecture for Change, a not-for-profit environmental build organisation which aims to challenge current design and build methods.
She has written: “The environmental merits of this project are too many to mention, buts its performance to a near Passivhaus standard indicates once more its light footprint on the site and the planet, acting as an exemplar scheme for the parish and its residents to be inspired by and be proud of.”
Ms Pelsmakers, author of the Royal Institute of British Architects’s “Environmental Design Pocket Book”, adds: “Designs of the quality and architectural and environmental merit of Orchard House are unfortunately rare.
“We need more of them to inspire our neighbourhoods that low impact living is possible without sacrificing our culture, history, comfort and local landscape.
“I believe Orchard House is exemplar in setting that pace of change and a scheme the local authority and the 
parish council will be proud of and will be upholding in the future as exemplar for other buildings and renovations to aspire to.”
A report to be considered by the borough’s planning committee says Hatton Parish Council believe it is an important application which could have implications for future development in the village.
It supports residents who are opposed to the scheme. But some residents support the application.
Objectors say the house would not blend with the general environment or the individual look of houses in the village.
Planning officers say while the house could be described as interesting and unusual, it could equally be viewed as a “jarring and inconsistent feature.”
They say the building would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt and that there are insufficient “very special circumstances” to outweigh this.
*A Passivhaus is a building which provides a high level of comfort without high energy consumption.
Picture: An artist’s impression of the proposed eco-house.
Council urged to throw out eco-house plan
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
