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North Kesteven's straw houses inspire Duke of Gloucester

A visit to North Kesteven District Council's pioneering straw houses has inspired His Royal Highness, the Duke of Gloucester, to follow suit with his own eco-building project.

Whilst touring the two homes built by the Council at Brumby Crescent, Waddington, the Duke - a trained architect - said that he would now consider straw as an option for a scheme he was planning on his own estate.

He showed great interest in all aspects of the decision by NKDC to commission the country's very first council houses built from bales and paid particular attention to the technical detail and the environmental benefits achieved through such a sustainable approach to delivering more affordable housing.

He also met the first tenants of a straw council house, Courtney Littlefair, Ben Cox and their 19-month old daughter Chloe and chatted with them about their delight at living in the house.

With a second pair of straw houses underway at Martin, the Duke commended the Council in taking a lead in pioneering green-build technologies.

"With the cement industry accounting for so much pollution, we are now made to feel guilty about laying bricks. But you as a council have found an alternative to that; surrounded by acres of wheat fields you have found the ideal model," he told members and officers who had been involved in the straw-based solution.

"I'm very interested and inspired by what you are doing. I want to have a co-operative self-build scheme for 12 houses at home and it has now occurred to me to build them from straw."

Council Leader, Councillor Marion Brighton OBE, said: "We were very honoured that the Duke chose to spend his time viewing the straw houses which we are extremely proud of.

"It is heartening that the Duke is impressed and inspired by them, as are many hundreds of others who have been involved in the planning and construction, who have followed our progress locally and from afar or who are using them as part of their architectural studies," said Cllr Mrs Brighton.

"We took a bold step but are now able to prove that very good homes can be built of straw. A key aim was to save money for tenants through their enhanced energy efficiency and we look forward to proving that point too."

The straw houses were designed by Amazonails and built by local firm Taylor Pearson Construction at a total cost of £280,000 for the pair.

In addition to the 526 compressed straw bales held together with hazel pins, they incorporate sheep's wool and recycled newspaper insulation, recycled glass blocks as a damp-course, lime-based aggregates, glue-free flooring, solar water heating, wood from sustainable sources and triple-glazed windows. They are designed not to require any heating but are fitted with wood-burning stoves for added comfort.

As he escorted the Duke around the two houses, Council Property Services Manager Michael Gadd explained the various components including vermin-proofing of the wheat straw from last year's harvest and the building's projected 200-year lifespan.

Having invited the Duke into her new home, Courtney said that she found him very engaging, easy-going and humorous as he discussed their enjoyment of living in the house.

"Although we were obviously nervous he soon put us at ease and was great with Chloe. I'm sure he could see how thrilled we are to be living in the first council house of its kind and hopefully this will generate more opportunities for people like us," she said.

Article Published: 21/06/2010

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