July 18, 2022 4.41 pm This story is over 26 months old

‘Lincolnshire’s most eco-friendly house’ likely to be refused

It would have been powered by solar panels in the garden
The zero carbon house uses the latest designs | Photo: Studio 11 Architecture

Plans for a zero carbon house which could have been the most environmentally friendly in Lincolnshire are set to be refused.

The self-build home near Pinchbeck would have been “built to a very high standard of environmental sustainability”.

It would have been powered by solar panels in the garden, using low energy lighting, mechanical ventilation heat recovery and a ground source heat pump to reduce energy consumption.

It has been commissioned by a local couple as a ‘forever’ home’ which responds to the social and environmental pressures of climate change.

Other eco-features in the proposed house include a kitchen garden, electric vehicle charging points and a 900 litre compost bin.

The application claims that it would be “a truly exemplar development, which would not generate carbon emissions through its operation, or travel by electric vehicle. It can point the way for other developments in this area and nationally.”

It adds that it would be “one of, and possibly the most, environmentally sustainable home in the district.”

Planning officers have raised concerns about the location | Photo: Studio 11 Architecture

However, South Holland District Counicl’s planning offices have recommended that the plans are rejected at this week’s committee meeting due to the location.

They say that the proposed location on Glenside North is out of the town’s development boundary.

A report says: “Although its design would have a ‘zero carbon’ footprint and may also bring small economic benefits to the area, these factors are outweighed by the harm that the proposal would cause in terms of other social and environmental factors, such as the site’s unsatisfactory relationship to local services and facilities, and the development’s effect upon the character and appearance of the countryside.”

Previous versions of the plans had also been turned down for similar reasons.

Councillors will have the final say at the planning committee meeting on Wednesday evening.