A FORMER leading Okehampton GP who built a sustainable house out of local timber for just £32,000 has called for Okehampton?s new developments to be carbon neutral and genuinely affordable. Dr Paul Nielson, who now lives in Holsworthy, will be one of the speakers at the forthcoming ?Building with Wood? Conference in Exeter on September 18. He said: ?We are in a very ecologically sensitive area ? why can?t we do something special?? Dr Nielson said the comments he had read in the Times from people at the recent open meeting about the local development framework plan seemed to make great sense. ?You have to have the right infrastructure in place,? he said. He added that proximity to schools and people?s places of work was also essential for sustainability, reducing the amount of car journeys that had to be made. He said West Devon Borough Council?s planning committee should get ahead of the game and make the homes meet the zero carbon requirement which the government wants to introduce by 2015. Dr Nielson has been pioneering the use of timber for affordable housing, building his first timber house on land near his existing home. The house, which was shortlisted for the Telegraph Small House Builder of the Year award, only cost £32,000 to build ? just over half of the government?s target of £60,000 for an affordable house. He is interested in the link between affordable housing and health, and feels that timber has a significant role to play in addressing the housing crisis. He said: ?Currently we are using Victorian building technology to provide new homes which young people can?t afford to live in or even rent. ?The planning regulations make it even harder for self or small scale builders ? policy dictates that only large scale development using bricks and mortar in an estate like format is favoured over more sustainable construction. ?Planners and policy makers must think differently if we are to make housing accessible to all. ?Our rural communities are suffering as young people are forced to relocate to urban areas where accommodation is more affordable. ?The knock- on effects are drastic. It leaves older people without the support of their families and local economies struggle under the impact as shops, pubs, post offices and schools close.? Dr Nielson said he could envisage a situation where farmers and farm workers would have to commute to work from urban areas. He acknowledged that although timber homes could be built affordably, the cost of land with planning permission still put self build beyond the budget of most young people. As a solution, he suggested that schemes such as the Community Land Trust could be used, whereby a trust leases land from farmers at a little above agricultural rates, and then offers long guaranteed leases on plots with planning consent to local people. Dr Nielson?s first project was an oak cruck house, built with timber sourced from a 5 mile radius of the plot. It took five weeks to construct a two storey building, but now he says he can build a timber house within 5 days. The house is exceptionally energy efficient, costing only £15 a quarter to heat. Dr Nielson said: ?It goes to show that timber has a crucial role in providing affordable housing. It can be mass produced without compromising the quality, design or integrity of the building. ?Wood is a natural, dynamic material that helps people to feel good, and create a more sustainable lifestyle in the process. It helps people feel part of their surroundings, and connects them with the outdoors, which makes for a much healthier lifestyle.? The actual process of building in brick is also far more energy intensive than using timber, and produces materials which often cannot be recycled or easily disposed of when they reach the end of their life. For those interested in building their own home, the 2007 self build and design show is being held this weekend at Westpoint, Exeter. Tickets booked in advance are half price (£4) from the organisers on 01283 742973.
