Eco-Hamlets UK

SWESES, The Group That Bought Trelay Farm

In February 2006, around two dozen people held a three day “get-together” to discuss setting up an eco-village in or near North Devon. It was organised by Jackie Carpenter, who had previously been part of an eco village discussion group in Stroud. We shared a group of holiday cottages, spending the days in intense discussion developing a common vision and planning the next steps, and the evenings socialising and getting to know each other. Few of us had met before, and it was amazing how well we got on, and made new friendships so quickly. With the guidance of a professional facilitator we held a series of workshops to define the requirements for an eco-village, and identify the work that needed to be done. Further meetings were planned, and everyone left with a strong belief that we had started something that would be a big step forward in sustainable living in the south west.

Immediately after the first meeting many of us looked at a site for sale near Barnstaple in North Devon. It was a 90 acre former farm with a large farmhouse, several cottages converted from farm buildings and a "banqueting hall" in a former barn. We held several meetings there, and attempted to buy it, but it was withdrawn from the market. However, it was the inspiration that drove the group to view many similar sites, and eventually led to buying a site in Cornwall.

We initially formed an informal organisation called Devon Eco-Village Association and registered the devoneva.org.uk domain name, before we realised that this name was too similar to DEVA : The Dorset Eco-Village, an existing group with similar (but far more ambitious) aims. Our intention was that Devon EVA would evolve into an organisation that supports the creation of a number of eco-village and co-housing projects in South West England. We then created a formal society called SWESES (South West England Sustainable Enterprise Society).

The aims of the SWESES were:
a) To work together to gather advice, data and information, to establish the formalities and to move forwards to a point of being able to acquire a property in the South West of England.
b) To establish a company or companies or co-operative or “Tenants in Common” group to enable a chosen property to be acquired for the members of the Society.
c) To establish a company or companies or co-operative to enable a Sustainable Live/Work Enterprise or Enterprises to be set up on the property.
d) To work together to develop a covenant and to discuss and develop ways and methods of living and working together in a sustainable life-style.
e) To act as a voice for its members, holding meetings with potential collaborators and partners such as planning authorities and potential funding bodies.

Our vision was of a co-housing eco village where there are approximately 15 - 20 dwelling units and a hostel for 20 visitors, with 20 - 50 diverse people on-site, including residents and visitors. We would live independently and privately, but help each other with jobs that are better done by a group. The main ethos would be that we would all try to live a low impact life-style. We expected to develop a sustainable small-holding where we grew most of our own food and collected most of the renewable energy we needed. We aimed not to work too hard, have lots of fun and provide much of our own entertainment.

Requirements

After further meetings and viewing a number of potential sites, we refined our requirements to:
Location - Probably within Cornwall, Devon, Dorset or Somerset.
Land - Any number of acres to be considered, of which some must be fertile.
Woodland - Supply of wood to be available, on-site or nearby.
Water - Must have year-round flowing water on-site.
Road Access – Public/private roads to property to be adequate for delivery vehicles.
Public Transport Links - Within 15 miles of a railway station.
Noise/Artificial Light - Low noise/light pollution.
Accommodation Buildings - One habitable house and realistic potential for more dwellings.
Other Buildings - Barn(s) and/or outbuildings suitable for conversion, animals or storage.
Price - Minimum £850,000, maximum £2 million.

Covenant

We wrote a covenant that all members of the group were required to sign:

This covenant and shared vision is agreed by the investors and residents as the basis on which the enterprise is run.

1) Relationships between individuals

• Our relationships are based on mutual respect, care and compassion.
• We respect each others freedom, space, time, peace, interests and beliefs.
• Every individual is responsible for their own behaviour and responses to others.
• We aim to develop our personal acceptance of ourselves and others as they are.
• We are willing to learn about ourselves and others.
• We are committed to conflict resolution.

2) Community

• We will create structures of governance, economic systems and organisational frameworks that promote personal responsibility and co-operative living, learning and working.
• We nurture all individuals to develop a balanced group that shares and builds skills.
• We welcome diversity, empowerment and a sense of belonging.
• We work with local and wider communities, developing trade and exchange such as local food, energy, work and skills.

3) Decision making

• Decision making is based on consensus and sustainability (social, environmental and economic).

4) Place and planet

• We recognise our interdependence with and impact on nature, locally and globally, now and in the future.
• We respect and nurture our land, animals and buildings, responsible in our use and stewardship of resources and waste.
• Our relationship with the land is harmless and sustainable.

5) Living with uncertainty

• Individually, we are committed to developing and adapting as the community does. Our shared vision of cooperative and sustainable living for ourselves and this land is revisited and celebrated in support of the community.

Other Documents

We also developed a series of documents for organising the legal and organisational structure, and for handling matters such as conflict resolution.

Finding a Site

Over the months following our initial meeting we looked at many potential sites throughout Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.

	This was the first site we looked at. 90 acres with cottages and lots of potential in North Devon. Unfortunately it was taken off the market.
We looked at posh houses,
	farmyards with residential planning permission for conversion,
and farms in need of a bit of TLC!
	We were outbid on this farm in Dorset
	We had some great meetings, and some fun!
	Eventually Trelay Farm near the North Cornish coast was purchased at Easter 2007, and is now being developed into a sustainable community.

People Who Haven't Moved To Trelay

Many people have been a part of the group during the search for and purchase of Trelay. In fact only two of the people at the initial meeting actually moved there! Some former group members are still looking for a site that suits their needs, and others have decided that an eco-village is not for them or are not yet ready to live in one. Two people now own a 1000 acre sheep farm in Northumberland, two more are building an eco-house in Somerset, and another moved to a narrowboat on a canal in London, and now has a smallholding in Wales! There are others whose lives have been changed by the experience.

This web site has been created by John Boshier, who was involved in the whole process described above, but decided that Trelay wasn't the right place for him. There are others still searching, and many others who have made contact. Hopefully this site will bring these people, and more, together to create further sustainable communities.

About The Creator of This Web Site

Before getting involved with the group that bought Trelay, I had several attempts at creating a small community with like minded people. First was discussing buying a farm in Wales with a couple of close friends, but we didn't get very far, as my friends were uncomfortable that I would have been putting in most of the money. When the house next door to mine was for sale, I tried to find someone to help buy it. With a 2 acre field and the potential for one or two new build houses, I could see the potential for a small community, but couldn't find anyone with money who was interested.

For a few years, I was a director of a small renewable energy installation company. We needed somewhere for storing stock, and I thought that selling my house and buying a farmyard with a house and outbuildings would be a solution. Not being able to afford this on my own, I considered buying and sharing the site with someone else. This idea grew into thoughts of a complete sustainable community, with many people of all ages living and working on site. As the idea developed, I realised that there would be serious problems with obtaining planning permission, and I wasn't in position to take on a project of this size at the time anyway.

I was part of the group that bought Trelay Farm in North Cornwall from the very first meeting, but withdrew just before purchasing the site, mainly because I was uncomfortable about the financing of the project. Having withdrawn from Trelay, I sold my house and have been travelling ever since, with the money available to put into a suitable project.

I currently have a reasonable amount of money to invest in a project and new home, but virtually no pension, so need to use my money to secure my long term future. In the uncertain world we live in, I am doubtful about the state providing support during illness and old age when I will need it, so need to make my own arrangements. I also have almost no close family, so living in some kind of intentional community where I can be part of a “family” of like minded people who can take care of each other would seem a practical and enjoyable solution.

See Contact page if you have questions or comments about this web site.
	This work by John Boshier is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.