Dear Editor
Many people today would like to move out of cities to live a more spiritually satisfying life in the countryside.*
Will the Localisation Bill make it easier for the young enterprising to get land to build themselves home, grow food and have self-sustaining energy systems? Credit crunch, soaring energy and food prices make the latter not just desirable but increasingly very necessary.
In UK we seem to be moving very slowly towards this, as many people are getting disillusioned with the materialistic consumer way of life, as it doesn't bring enduring happiness or deepening spiritual satisfaction. With an ever-rising population here most will argue that there isn't enough land for a more cooperative family land-based self-reliant localised economy to emerge; but when you consider that around 90% of land in the UK is owned by 5% of the population – mostly aristocrats and corporates – it perpetuates an apparent land shortage especially for self-build housing.
There must be lots of readers of this who would love to help build their own eco-home to live this more satisfying fulfilling life. While government ministers seem to support the idea of localised self-reliance, land ownership by the privileged few and planning law restrictions in no way encourage this.
Most young can't get a mortgage even if they do get a job (credit crunch!) so the only affordable way is to join a housing coop or community share housing self-build group. One hopes the Localisation Bill will enable local councils to release and earmark more land for low-impact self-build eco-housing.
The up and coming frustrated edge of our consumerist society are longing for a more eco-spiritual life and a decent house to live in.
Our contribution is to help these kind of pioneers who've invested all their resources to purchase land to create a Permacultural woodland garden, to get planning permission for their eco-house.
We are inviting readers to track progress of 3 of our current projects having these aims:
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