Toby Keel
The words ‘self-sufficiency’ once conjured images of the classic 1970s sitcom The Good Life, in which a disillusioned office worker and his wife gives up their jobs, plough up their suburban garden and try to live off the land.
Terrifyingly, for anyone who remembers the show, that was 50 years ago. Today, self-sufficiency is less about hand-knitted cardigans and naughty goats, and more about sleek, modern homes with no carbon footprint at all. This is Hartdene Barns.
The properties in question are a collection of nine net-zero carbon homes in Kent, erected by sustainable housing developer Q New Homes, who call them ‘Britain’s greenest homes’.
Are they? Probably, at least in terms of a collection of homes rather than a single dwelling. It’s believed that this is the first development in the UK to successfully meet the strict criteria for the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) Climate Challenge. There are air-source heat pumps, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), PV solar panels and — far more important than you might realised — even low-carbon concrete. All this, plus natural beauty too: Hartdene Barns is located on the site of a former dairy farm at Cowden, within the High Weald National Landscape.
In addition to individual houses and gardens, residents will each have their own on-site allotment managed by Roots Allotments, which provides organic, no-dig, chemical-free spaces. ‘People can choose what fruit and vegetables they would like to see coming through the door and we’ll set up their allotment to provide them,’ explains Ed Morrison, founder of Roots Allotments.
Even the allotments have a modern look.
There is pest control on the site, but it’s zoological rather than chemical. ‘The addition of the owl nests encourages owls to come to the allotments to act as a natural pest control,’ adds Morrison.
‘On top of this, we are working to create other areas that will enhance biodiversity and create new habitats, such as native hedgerow, wildflowers and insect hotels.’
Michael Wynne, co-founder of Q New Homes, is at pains to explain the diligence that’s gone in to getting this right. ‘It took a lot of time and careful planning to make sure we were ticking the green boxes throughout the construction of Hartdene Barns,’ he says.
‘To us, sustainability does not lie solely with the energy sources, which is already seeing some progress around the country. Sustainable materials, the appliances used in the interiors and the promotion of biodiversity are equally as important to creating a green home.
‘These homes will give residents a slice of luxury in the heart of the Kent countryside, as well as giving them the peace of mind that they are in keeping with the natural environment.’
Prices at Hartdene Barns start from £1.25 million for a three-bedroom terraced property, increasing to £2.5 million for a four-bedroom link detached barn. See moverevolution.com/hartdene-barns for more details.
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