ApplicationforaOnePlanetDevelopmentontheland ... · ! 5!! Design/Strategy *...

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Application for a One Planet Development on the land formerly known as Hebron Farm, Hebron SA34 0XT

Salena Walker and Christopher Richards May 2015

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SUMMARY 1

DESIGN / STRATEGY 5

PLOT PLAN 7

BUSINESS AND IMPROVEMENT PLAN 8 LAND-‐BASED ACTIVITY 8 ENTERPRISE 17

LAND MANAGEMENT 33

ENERGY AND WATER 37 ENERGY 37 WATER 38

WASTE 41

ZERO CARBON BUILDINGS 42 DOMESTIC BUILDINGS 42 ANCILLARY BUILDINGS 43

COMMUNITY IMPACT 44

TRANSPORT 45 RESIDENTS 45 ENTERPRISES 45 VISITORS 46 TRANSPORT ASSESSMENT AND TRAVEL PLAN 47

PHASING, MONITORING AND EXIT STRATEGY 49

APPENDIX 55 EFA ECOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT ORDINANCE SURVEY MAP OF SITE MAP OF SITE SOIL ANALYSIS SCALED DRAWING OF DWELLING SCALED DRAWING OF WORKSHOP SCALED DRAWING OF SITE PLAN DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT BUSINESS SUPPORT LETTERS VEGETABLE GARDEN PLAN AND PLANT LIST CARMARTHENSHIRE LOCAL BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN LANDMAP INFORMATION AND DATA DISTRIBUTION MAPS OF SPECIES IN CARMARTHENSHIRE

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Summary This management plan concerns a prospective One Planet Development planning application to develop a low impact smallholding on 4 hectares of land formally know as Hebron Farm. The smallholding will have one dwelling and support two people – Christopher Richards and Salena Walker. The proposed smallholding will be a sustainable, off-‐grid development, designed and managed using permaculture principles. Management of the land will be approached from a holistic viewpoint, with conserving and improving biodiversity to create a species rich habitat being the main objective. The principle business initiative will be producing organic plant-‐based products derived from the produce grown on site. We would very much like the opportunity to exemplify the real possibility of living a modern life without the need to consume large amounts of fossil fuels and other natural resources. We are committed to living within the 1.88 global hectares per person and helping Wales achieve the One Wales: One Planet objective. From a wider perspective, we would like our smallholding to become an integral part of the Hebron community and economy. We have been working towards purchasing land and developing an organic, land based business for the past three years. During this time we have actively sort the opportunity to gain real life experience and develop the skills necessary to enable us to be successful in our endeavour. We have lived as volunteers on a number of organic farms and smallholdings, where we have been able to experience the reality of the lifestyle we hope to achieve on our own OPD site. We are currently based in the Lammas Eco Village and are long-‐term volunteers for Tao and Hoppi Wimbush. Tao Wimbush is the founder of Lammas and an expert on both low impact living and the One Planet Development policy. Lammas is the greatest example of off grid and sustainable developments in Wales. We live entirely off grid at Lammas and believe that we are now prepared for the transition to developing and managing our own OPD site. Location The land is located at the edge of Hebron village and it was formally part of Hebron Farm. It is in a naturally sheltered location close to the bottom of the valley. Grid reference SN1727. Area and shape The land is southeast facing and on a slight gradient – the lowest point being approximately 115m above sea level and the highest point being approximately 135m above sea level. The land comprises of two fields: the upper field is predominantly a spruce plantation and the lower field being open pasture. The land

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is 4 hectares in size (10 acres) and approximately evenly split between the both fields – the upper field is 2 hectares and the lower field is 2 hectares. The land was traditionally used for grazing cattle, however, for the past fifteen years it has been exclusively used for grazing welsh mountain ponies and producing Christmas trees. The land is naturally sheltered from view due to the mature hedgerows, with the only direct vantage point being from the southeast gated access and the elevated opposite side of the valley.

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Boundaries Mature hedgerows with large native trees surround both fields on all sides. A small stream runs the full length of the western boundary and a minor road runs the full length of the southern boundary. Context / adjacent land uses Pasture fields surrounded by mature hedgerows with large native trees make up most of the adjacent land. The adjacent land is used for grazing livestock and hay production. To the very lower southeast are residential dwellings. Beyond the adjacent land are areas of mixed woodland and pasture. There are no public rights of way on the land. Tenure We have purchased the land freehold. Existing on-‐site services Currently the site has two active wells that provide the site with water and three other residential dwellings to the east of the land – Pleasant View, Arnwood and Hebron Farm Cottage. National grid electricity lines run along the southeast corner of the lower field. The land benefits from an abundant water supply with a number of springs located in the upper field. Site access arrangements A gate on the east side of the lower field provides direct pedestrian and vehicular access off the road. There is a hard standing area immediately upon entering the site, where vehicles can be parked and turned around. Vehicular access to the rest of the site is limited to agricultural and off-‐road vehicles. There is no regular existing transport generated by the site.

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View of Land from the road

Existing features and landscape The upper field has a dense spruce plantation with a wild, unmanaged area to the top west corner, an open glade between the blocks of the plantation and an area of un-‐grazed pasture below the plantation. The top west corner is very wet and there are a number of springs and two active wells surrounded by mature native trees. There is an old manure heap located in the upper field. The Lower field is un-‐grazed pasture, which is currently cut on an annual basis. There is a small stream that runs the full length of the site from the top west corner to the bottom west corner. The mature hedgerows that surround both fields have been highlighted as being rich in biodiversity during the ecological survey. The soil analysis report completed by NRM Laboratories evidenced that the soil is acidic and low in nutrients. (Full Soil Analysis Report in Appendix)

Table 1: Soil Analysis Report

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Design / Strategy The land will accommodate one dwelling, with two residents – Christopher Richards and Salena Walker, who will be permanent residents and work the land full time. Our core aim of the proposed development is to create a successful and sustainable land-‐based business, while simultaneously living a sustainable lifestyle and improving the biodiversity of the land. We want to live as lightly on the land as possible, conserving and improving the biodiversity for future generations. In order to achieve this we plan to thoroughly utilise the existing features of the land and use these features as a baseline for the development of the entire site. The development will include one dwelling, workshop, poultry housing, field shelter, compost toilet and polytunnels. All buildings will be constructed from natural materials and they will be entirely off grid, powered and heated using renewable energy. These buildings will have a sympathetic design; they will naturally blend in to the surrounding area using the topography of the land and the existing features. The poultry housing, field shelter and compost toilet will all be temporary and movable structures. The waste produced by the development will be utilised as a resource and the entire development will be designed to conserve natural resources. Permaculture design techniques are the foundation upon which the development will be designed, with minimal use of fossil fuels being an intrinsic element of the design. The business initiatives are based upon the growing and harvesting of plant-‐based produce, selling this produce wholesale and developing value added products, which will become unique to the development. The crops grown for the business initiatives have been specifically chosen to also be suitable in improving biodiversity and attractive to beneficial species. These crops are predominantly perennial and once established will continue to produce large yields, with minimal human input. New habitats for biodiversity will be designed around the existing features, these habitats include: wildlife ponds and a wetland system, broadleaved woodland, new hedgerows, forest garden, herb garden and flower garden. We plan to develop the site with an emphasis on establishing our business initiatives, which will then support all other aspects of our development. In brief this will be: Year one

• Set up temporary home • Complete track ways

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• Begin to establish domestic garden • Begin planting soft fruit and fruit trees in forest garden • Complete ground works for dwelling

Year two

• Continue to establish domestic garden • Continue to establish forest garden • Complete constructing poultry housing and polytunnels • Dig pond • Complete dwelling

Year three

• Complete establishing forest garden • Begin re-‐stocking spruce plantation with broadleaved trees • Dig pond • Begin constructing workshop • Begin to establish ‘Paddock Paradise’

Year 4

• Continue to re-‐stock woodland area • Complete constructing workshop • Plant hedgerow • Build field shelter • Continue to establish ‘Paddock Paradise’

Year 5

• Fully establish all areas of domestic garden and business initiatives • Continue to establish ‘Paddock Paradise’ • Continue to re-‐stock woodland area

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Plot plan Salena has a Permaculture Design Certificate, this knowledge has been utilised in the design of the site using the permaculture principles of zoning. Some areas will naturally spread to more than one zone. Table 2: Permaculture zoning of site development A full scaled drawing of site plan is available in the appendices. Zone 0 Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5 Dwelling Vegetable

Garden Forest garden

Forest garden

Forest garden

Woodland

Compost toilet

Herb and flower Garden

Soft fruit Paddock Paradise

Wildlife ponds

Wildlife ponds

Polytunnels Paddock Paradise

Paddock Paradise

Paddock Paradise

Poultry housing

Field shelter

Irrigation pond

Workshop

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Business and Improvement Plan

Land-‐based Activity Subsistence -‐ Food We aim to meet all of our fruit and vegetable needs from the land within five years of habitation. We both currently eat a vegetarian and gluten free diet, which means that we will not need to keep livestock for our own consumption or grow cereals to supplement our diets. We are both experienced growers as we have had an allotment for the last five years. Our allotment was on a North-‐facing slope on the coast of North Wales so we are used to dealing with a difficult growing environment, especially with the elements of wind and sea. Despite these difficult conditions we were still able to meet some of our own requirements from the land. The knowledge we built up in our time on the allotment has given us the skills, expertise and confidence to be able to meet our fruit and vegetable needs from the land within five years, especially as the land we will be growing on is a South West facing slope and free draining. We have also spent the last 12 months working as volunteer gardeners in a number of vegetable and herb gardens on organic farms. The majority of the food we purchase is fruit and vegetables either in fresh, dried or tinned form, so this will be replaced by land grown produce. Below is an example of a typical weekly food-‐shopping list; it illustrates what produce we will be able to grow on the land: Table 3: Current food shopping list Item We plan to grow it on the land or

replace it with something that can be grown on the land.

Mint tea Yes Chamomile tea Yes Olive oil No Gluten free flour Yes – Replaced with experimental crop

flour such as buckwheat and chestnut. Almond milk Yes – Replaced with nut milks from nuts

grown on site. Rice cakes Yes – Replaced with dehydrated

vegetable crackers. Brown basmati rice No Tinned tomatoes Yes Tinned sweetcorn Yes

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Peanuts Yes – Replaced with other nuts. Agave syrup Yes – Replaced with yacon. Hazelnut butter Yes Dried beans Yes Garlic bulb Yes Ginger No Onions Yes Potatoes Yes Carrots Yes Apples Yes Kale Yes Cabbage Yes Broccoli Yes Courgette Yes Parsnips Yes Swede Yes Squash Yes Mushrooms Yes Plums Yes Oranges No Limes Yes Table 4: Current expenditure on food

Household spend Current Year

Spend £ Home produced £

Meat and meat products 0 0

Poultry Meat and poultry products 0 0

Fish 0 0

Fruit and vegetables 1144 0

Oils and fats 270.40 0

Dairy 0 0

Grain mill products 608.40 0

Bread, biscuits and cakes 0 0

Cocoa and confectionary 67.60 0

Other (inc preserves) 304.20 0

Non alcoholic beverages 16.90 0

Alcoholic beverages 0 0

Eating Out 50.70 0

Totals 2462.20 0 Total food consumed 2462.20

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“Research from the National Association of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners has found that a ’10 pole’ (250m2) allotment, properly managed, can feed a family of four for an entire year. And these gardeners all reassured by knowing that all they have grown is completely natural and organic, as opposed to vegetables purchased from supermarkets which have often been bathed in chemicals.” Below is a table of crop production that we will be developing on the site in the first five years: Table 5: Expected food production (468m2 veg production) Veg Produce

per plant Expected need

Expected Yield Once Established

Jerusalem artichoke

500g 20 plants 10kg

Broad Bean 200g per plant

60 plants 12kg

French bean

100g per plant

76 plants 7kg

Runner beans

500g per plant

50 plants 25kg(125 200g bags)

Dried beans 30g per plant

313 plants

9kg

Beetroot 116 plants

116 beetroots

Brussel Sprouts

9 plants 8 kg

Broccoli 750g per plant

20 plants 15kg (62 240g bags)

Cabbage 1kg cabbage

51 plants 51kg 51 cabbages

Chilli 7 fruits 32 plants 224 chillies Peppers 7 fruits 10 plants 70 peppers Carrot 412 412 carrots Cauliflower 500g

cauliflower 26 plants 26

cauliflowers Celeriac 18 plants 18 celeriac

Celery 45 plants 45 celery Courgette 10

courgettes 10 plants 100

courgettes Cucumber 12

cucumbers 4 plants 48

cucumbers

Endive 50 plants Kale 500g per

plant 66 plants 33kg

Leek 190 190 leeks Lettuce 52 plants 52 lettuce Onions 464 464 onions Parsnip 29 29 parsnips

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Pea 3kg per plant

117 plants

351kg

Potato (9)1.5kg planted = 8 – 15kg cropped

108 800kg

Swede 28 plants 28 swedes Sweetcorn 4 cobs 20 plants 80 cobs Popcorn 4 cobs 10 plants 40 cobs Fieldcorn 4 cobs 53 plants 212 cobs=52

polenta blocks

Tomatoes 2.5kg 64 plants 160kg (400 400g packets/tins)

Garlic 116 plants

116 garlic bulbs

Pumpkin 3 pumpkins

3 plants 9 pumpkin

Squash 3 squash 3 plants 9 squash Oriental Greens

52 plants Roughly 10 bags

Horseradish 1 plant 1 x horseradish

Basil 10 plants Roughly 10 bags

Chives 5 plants Roughly 5 bags

Parsley 5 plants Roughly 5 bags

Coriander 15 plants Roughly 15 bags

Rosemary 5 plants Roughly 5 bags

Lavender 5 plants Sage 5 plants Roughly 5

bags Feverfew 5 plants Thyme 5 plants Roughly 5

bags Rocket 5 plants Roughly 5

bags Mint 5 plants Roughly 5

bags Bay 2 plants Roughly 2

bags Chamomile 5 plants Dill 5 plants Roughly 5

bags Fennel 2 plants Roughly 2

bags Lemon balm


Lemon Verbena


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Lovage 2 plants Roughly 2 bags

Purslane 52 plants Roughly 52 bags

Radish 200 radish

200 radishes

Aubergine 4 aubergines

4 plants 16 aubergines

Experimental Crop Produce

per plant

Expected need


Buckwheat Chickpeas 5g Crocus Saffron

Rice Amaranth Gojiberry 500g 5 5kg (25 x 200g

bags) Fig 4.5kg 2 5kg Peach 9kg 2 18kg (90@200g

each) Nectarine 9kg 2 18kg (90@200g

each) Apricots 9kg 2 18kg(150@120g

each) Cranberries 500g 25 11.250kg (56 x

200g punnets) Grapes 2kg 2 4kg (8 x 500g

bunch) Pecans 4.5kg 4 9kg (60 x 150g

bags) Maple trees

5litres 2 10 litres

Elderflower trees

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Olive tree 4 Lemon tree 2 Lime tree 2 Fruit Produce

per plant

Expected need


Rhubarb 1.5kg 5 plants 7.5kg Strawberries 225g 50 plants 11.250kg Apple tree 40kg 4 trees 160kg Blackcurrent 1kg 5 plants 5kg Whitecurrents 1kg 2 plants 2kg Redcurrants 1kg 2 plants 2kg Raspberries 1kg 15 plants 15kg Tayberry 1kg 2 plants 2kg

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Loganberry 1kg 2 plants 2kg Boysenberry 1kg 2 plants 2kg Gooseberry 1kg 2 plants 2kg Blueberry 1kg 2 plants 2kg Honeyberry 1kg 2 plants 2kg Blackberry 1kg 8 plants 8kg Melon 2kg (3

melons) 4 plants 12 melons

Plums 40kg 1 trees 40kg (100 punnets)

Cherries 9kg 2 trees 18kg (83 punnets)

Kiwi 2kg 2 plants 4kg (88 kiwi fruit)

Nut Produce

per plant Expected need


Walnut 4.5kg 4 trees 18kg (72 x 250g bags)

Almond 4.5kg 4 trees 18kg (72 x 250g bags)

Hazelnut 4.5kg 4 trees 18kg (72 x 250g bags)

Cobnut 4.5kg 4 trees 18kg (72 x 250g bags)

Chestnut 4.5kg 4 trees 18kg (90 x 200g bags)

All the above figures have been worked out as an average based on figures from the following books and experience of growing crops: Creating a Forest Garden by Martin Crawford The Fruit Expert by Dr D G Hessayon Grow your own fruit by Carol Klein Using our expected yields once established we have predicted that we will be able to meet 65% of our financial food needs from the land by year 4. Table 6: Financial assessment of how we will meet 65% of our food needs (Based on current food consumption and prediction of our food needs in Table 7) Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Food income requirement (x-‐y) 1600.43 1154.43 662.43 102.43 0 0 Total food consumption 2462.20 2462.20 2462.20 2462.20 2462.20 2462.20 65% of total food consumption (x) 1600.43 1600.43 1600.43 1600.43 1600.43 1600.43 Food grown (y) 0 446 938 1498 2018 3822.27

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Table 7: A breakdown of our current food consumption patterns and a prediction of our foods needs after living and growing on the land for five years.

Household spend Current Year Five years after habitation

Spend £ Home produced £ Spend £ Home produced

£ Meat and meat products 0 0 0 0

Poultry Meat and poultry products 0 0 221 1232

Fish 0 0 0 0

Fruit and vegetables 1144 0 493 1535.713

Oils and fats 270.40 0 25 496.084

Dairy 0 0 0 0

Grain mill products 608.40 0 87.88 643.685

Bread, biscuits and cakes 0 0 0 0

Cocoa and confectionary 67.60 0 67.60 0

Other (inc preserves) 304.20 0 71.316 813.027

Non alcoholic beverages 16.90 0 0 210.788

Alcoholic beverages 0 0 0 0

Eating Out 50.70 0 50.70 0

Totals 2462.20 0 817.49 3822.27

Total food consumed 2462.20 4639.76

1 Duck feed 2 We will be keeping 2 khaki Campbell dugs and after speaking to a number of owners we estimate that we will be getting a minimum of 492 eggs / 41 dozen. If we were to buy these we would be expecting to pay £3 a dozen. 3 This has been worked out from Table 5 – Expected food production (not including experimental crops and nut trees) and allowing for 50% crop failure. We have only included 51% of our fruit and vegetables in this column as the remainder will be used for dehydrating into grain, preserving or bottling. 4 As our diet relies heavily on nuts and seeds for fat we included our hazelnut and cobnut crop in this column. Allowing for 50% crop loss, by year 5 we should be able to consume 18kg of our own hazelnuts and cobnuts from trees and hedgerows. We currently buy in hazelnuts at £6.89 for a bag of 250g. Therefore we will produce 72, 250g bags. 5 As we eat a gluten free diet, included in this figure are chestnuts, as we will be using this as a flour substitute and in dehydrated products. We have also included 15% of our fruit and vegetable production (£451.68) as these will be converted into crackers and breads through a dehydration process. 6 Included in this figure are the products needed to preserve our own produce including sugar, vinegar and salt. 7 We will be preserving 27% of our fruit and vegetable production through jams, chutneys, dehydrating and fermentation. 8 Fruit and vegetables that are bruised or damaged will be made into juices. We have set aside 7% of our fruit and vegetable production for this.

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Table 8: Yearly Outgoings for Crop Production Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Veg Seeds 166.17 166.17 110.78 55.59 55.59 Fruit Seeds 1.98 1.98 0 0 0 Total 168.15 168.15 110.78 55.59 55.59 From year three all fruit seeds can be saved and by year five we plan to be saving two thirds of our seeds.

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Table 9 -‐ As defined by the One Planet Development Policy (Practice Guidance point 3.27), our minimum income needs are:

Please note that for reasons of simplicity inflation has not been factored into the accounting figures – both in terms of household need as well as business income/ evaluating land-‐based produce.

1 After looking at figures in the ‘Farm Management Pocketbook’ by John Nix 38th Edition and speaking to a live one planet development keeping horses we have concluded that we will use 250 bales of hay at £2.50 a bale and up to £100 of extra feed. 2 We conclude after research that we will be using no more than 25 large round bales of straw at £15 each. We will supplement the bedding with wood shavings that we will naturally produce when we are thinning our woodland out and sawing wood. 3 Feet will need to be trimmed every 6-8 weeks at £20 per horse. As the paddock paradise is developed the horses may be able to go longer periods of time between farrier visits due to the natural wearing down of hooves on different surfaces within the track. 4 Including flue and tetanus vaccinations. 5 Including insurance, tax, MOT, service and £428 set-aside on an annual basis for purchase of vehicle every 5 years. 6 Our current car does 34MPG and we travel on average 5000 miles a year. 7 By year 5 we will be using 467.91 litres of petrol or equivalent in diesel. 8 4 annual return trips to Cardiff at £30.60 a return. 9 We will be having two websites from Madamadari - Business hosting - £70, .co.uk domains - £15, .com domains £30.

Household needs Current year Five years after habitation

Telecoms Telephone/ internet/ communications 420 420

Clothing Clothes/ footwear 340 340

Food Food spend (up to 65% of total food consumed) 2462.20 0

Poultry Duck feed 0 22

Horses Feed 0 7251

Straw 0 3752

Farrier 0 3603

Vet 0 2004

Travel spend Purchase and maintenance of vehicles/ other travel costs 1100 11005

Vehicle fuel costs 735.306 514.707

Train fares 122.40 122.408

Tax Council tax costs 862.17 862.17

Website Annual upkeep, domain and hosting costs 1159

Soil Association Organic certification

Soil Association certification for land based produce 474

Misc. 300 300

MINIMUM INCOME REQUIREMENT (£/annum) 6342.07 5930.27

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Enterprise In the initial five-‐year period we will focus on a number of different business enterprises to explore what crops best suit the growing conditions and the sales market. After this initial period we will review the different enterprises and develop the ones that are the most economically productive. We will continue to run a number of small business enterprises and one main enterprise, this will ensure suitable economic protection should a crop failure occur. We have researched the possibility of attaining an official organic status through the soil association society. There are a number of organic wholesalers and retail outlets locally, so cost associated with becoming an official organic producer may be worthwhile, potentially expanding our sales market. We have already begun developing and researching business enterprises and have launched a company called ‘Plant Based Alchemy’, which already has over 400 followers on Facebook. The company was launched at Bumblebee Farm -‐ the setting for the BBC series ‘Its Not Easy Being Green’. For the launch of the company Salena delivered two plant-‐based diet and nutrition courses. Both courses were well attended and the feedback was positive from all participants, who were keen to find out more about the project in West Wales and attend further courses. There was a short film produced of the company launch and will be used for future advertising for courses run by ‘Plant Based Alchemy’. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WymaBPHdhB4&feature=youtu.be We are in the process of developing a Plant Based Alchemy website where people can buy our raw chocolates (which we are already producing and selling) and other plant based products. This will play a large role in marketing our value added products made from the raw ingredient sourced from our OPD site. http://www.plantbasedalchemy.com

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We have separated the business initiatives into two categories – direct land based and value added land based. The direct land based category focuses on the selling of produce in its natural and unprocessed form, e.g. Apples and soft fruit. The value added category focuses on using the produce grown on site as ingredients to create products such as chocolates and cosmetics. The only exception to this classification of categories is the running of courses as a business initiative.

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Direct Land Based Business Initiatives Apples and Plums As over 90% of the fruit that Wales consumes is imported we plan to help contribute to the growing of our nations fruit by planting fruit trees. All produce will be sold straight to local wholesalers or shops. Research has proven that there are many local outlets calling out for local fruit, these include C and M Organics in Hebron, Bwyd y Byd in Crymych and Wholefoods of Newport (see appendix for support letters). Selling to a local shop or wholesaler will benefit local availability of produce and not take away from already established fruit selling outlets. There is also a large market for the wholesale of apples for cider production. All trees will be mulched and fed with a combination of wood, horse manure, leaf mold and comfrey produced on site. Outgoings Cost Boxes £62.401 Delivery £92.532 Total £154.93 Income Price Total Apples 1 Tree (M106 semi-‐vigorous) will produce

40kg of fruit 3 Cost @ £1.30 per Kg4 = £52 per tree

15 trees = 600kg of fruit = £780

Plum 1 Tree (St Julien semi-‐vigorous) will produce 40kg of fruit5 Cost @ £1.50 a kg 6= £60 per tree

5 trees = 200kg = £300

Total £1080

1 A box to hold 5kg of fruit is £0.39 (eBay). 160 boxes needed by year 5 2 The majority of our produce direct land-based businesses will be delivered to Bwyd y Byd in Crymych, Wholefoods of Newport and C & M Organics in Hebron. If we delivered produce to all of these places in one round trip this would be 36.3 miles. We have allowed for one trip every week to deliver produce = 1887.6 miles. We have divided the petrol costs between all areas of our direct land-based businesses. 3 Figures taken from Nix, J Farm Management Pocketbook (The Andersons Centre 38th edition 2008) page 46. 4 After discussion with C and M Organics in Hebron they told us that they would buy crops apple crops from us from between £1.30 - £1.50 kg depending on season and condition of fruit. 5 Figures taken from Nix, J Farm Management Pocketbook (The Andersons Centre 38th edition 2008) page 47. 6 After discussion with C and M Organics in Hebron they told us that they would buy plum crops from us from between £1.50 - £1.80 kg depending on season and condition of fruit.

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Profit Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Expected Yield Apples 200kg

Plums 66kg Apples 400kg Plums 132kg

Apples 600kg Plums 200kg

Expected Outgoings £51.64 £103.29 £154.93 Expected Profit £307.36 £614.71 £925.07 Soft Fruit We have a number of years of experience in growing soft fruits at our allotment and want to capitalise on this knowledge by developing it into a small business. We will be growing a variety of different berries that ripen at different times, ensuring the spread of the harvest supply and protection against crop failure. We will sell the fruit directly to local wholesalers and shops. The produce will be marketed as grown without the use of pesticides and local Welsh produce. We plan to grow gooseberries, blueberries and currents as they have a good traditional market and can be harvested at different times throughout the year. We will also be growing jostaberries, which is a hybrid berry made from a cross between blackcurrents and gooseberries. This variety is less available than the most common forms of berries, therefore being an alternative and more interesting choice to buyers. Alongside these we will also be experimenting with other rare berry varieties and the more common ones to ensure a stable income and maintain diversity. We will sell these berries straight to local wholesalers or shops. Research has proven that there are many local outlets calling out for local fruit; these include C and M Organics in Hebron, Bwyd y Byd in Crymych and Wholefoods of Newport (see appendix for support letters). There are also a number of local health food shops that are keen to purchase and sell local grown food. Selling to a local shop or wholesaler will benefit local availability of produce and not take away from already established fruit selling outlets. All soft fruit will be mulched and fed with a combination of wood, horse manure, leaf mold and comfrey produced on site. Outgoings Cost Punnets £0.12 each £901 Delivery £92.532 Total £182.53

1 Eco pulp punnets quote from TB Containers 2 The majority of our produce direct land-based businesses will be delivered to Bwyd y Byd in Crymych, Wholefoods of Newport and C & M Organics in Hebron. If we delivered produce to all of these places in one round trip this would be 36.3 miles. We have allowed for one trip every week to deliver produce = 1887.6 miles. We have divided the petrol costs between all areas of our direct land-based businesses.

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Income Price Total Gooseberries

£4 a kg 1 1 plant = 1kg = 5 punnets2

25 plants = 25kg 125 punnets @ 200g/£0.80 = £100

Blueberries £9.99 a kg 3 1 plant = 1kg = 5 punnets4

25 plants = 25kg 125 punnets @ 200g/£1.99 = £249.75

Redcurrants £11.12 a kg 5 1 plant = 1kg = 5 punnets6


Whitecurrants £11.12 a kg 7 1 plant = 1kg = 5 punnets8


Blackcurrants £4.72 a kg 9 1 plant = 1kg = 5 punnets10


Jostaberries £6.12 a kg 11 1 plant = 1kg = 5 punnets


Total £1176.75

1 After discussion with C and M Organics in Hebron they told us that they would buy crops from us at £2 for 500g. 2 Hessayon, D The Fruit Expert (Expert Books, 2002) page 80 suggests 2.7kg – 5.4kg a plant and Klein, C Grow your own fruit with the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society, 2009) page 28 suggests 3.5 kg. A 1kg estimation per plant allows for spoilage and crop failure. 3 After discussion with C and M Organics in Hebron they told us that they would buy crops from us at £1.50 for 150g. 4 Klein, C Grow your own fruit with the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society, 2009) page 28 suggests 2 – 4.5kg. A 1kg estimation per plant allows for spoilage and crop failure. 5 C and M Organics in Hebron told us that they rarely get these kinds of berries but a price guide for them to buy these crops from us would be £1.39 for 125g. 6 Hessayon, D The Fruit Expert (Expert Books, 2002) page 84 suggests 4.5kg a plant and Klein, C Grow your own fruit with the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society, 2009) page 28 suggests 4.5 kg. A 1kg estimation per plant allows for spoilage and crop failure. 7 C and M Organics in Hebron told us that they rarely get these kinds of berries but a price guide for them to buy these crops from us would be £1.39 for 125g. 8 Hessayon, D The Fruit Expert (Expert Books, 2002) page 84 suggests 4.5kg a plant and Klein, C Grow your own fruit with the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society, 2009) page 28 suggests 4.5 kg. A 1kg estimation per plant allows for spoilage and crop failure. 9 C and M Organics in Hebron told us that they rarely get this variety of berries but a price guide for them to buy these crops from us would be £1.18 for 250g. 10 Figures taken from Nix, J Farm Management Pocketbook (The Andersons Centre 38th edition 2008) page 48. 11 C and M Organics in Hebron told us that they rarely get this variety of berries so they used the price guide for raspberries to base this crop on which is £1.53 for 250g.

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Profit Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Expected Yield 5kg gooseberries

5kg blueberries 5kg redcurrants 5kg whitecurrants 5kg blackcurrants 5kg jostaberries

15kg gooseberries 15kg blueberries 15kg redcurrants 15kg whitecurrants 15kg blackcurrants 15kg jostaberries

25kg gooseberries 25kg blueberries 25kg redcurrants 25kg whitecurrants 25kg blackcurrants 25kg jostaberries

Expected Outgoings

150 punnets = £18 Delivery £30.84



Expected Profit £186.31 £590.37 £994.22 Mushrooms Mushrooms can be grown in a relatively small area and as they suit dark wet areas we feel the climate in West Wales will suit the crop. This business can fit into our woodland areas with no additional land needed so it becomes the perfect companion business to the woodland area. We will focus on shitake and oyster mushrooms for which there is a surprisingly small amount of growers in Wales. A variety of logs (oak, alder, spruce) sourced on site will be inoculated with the spawn of shitake and oyster. They will be stored in the deep shade of the conifer woods and kept moist while the fungus is colonising the logs. Once the logs have been completely colonised, they will naturally fruit in late autumn and can be shocked into producing by soaking them in water/hitting them with a mallet. Research has proven that there are many local outlets calling out for local produce, these include C and M Organics in Hebron, Bwyd y Byd in Crymych and Wholefoods of Newport (see appendix for support letters). Selling to a local shop or wholesaler will benefit local availability of produce and not take away from already established fruit selling outlets.

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Outgoings Cost for 400 logs Boxes £15.601 Delivery £92.532 Mushroom spawn and wax £3603 Total £468.13 Income Price Total Mushrooms

£12 a kg 4 1 log = 250g

400 logs = 100kg = £900

Total £1200 Profit Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Expected Yield

200 logs – 50kg

300 logs – 75kg

400 logs – 100kg

Expected Outgoings

Boxes = £7.80 Delivery £30.84 Spawn and wax = £360

Boxes = £11.70 Delivery £61.68

Boxes = £15.60 Delivery £92.53

Expected Profit

£201.36 £826.62 £1091.87

1 A box to hold 2.5kg of mushrooms is £0.39 (eBay). 40 boxes needed by year 5 2 The majority of our produce from direct land-based businesses will be delivered to Bwyd y Byd in Crymych, Wholefoods of newport and C & M Organics in Hebron. If we delivered produce to all of these places in one round trip this would be 36.3 miles. We have allowed for one trip every week to deliver produce = 1887.6 miles. We have divided the petrol costs between all areas of our direct land-based businesses. 3 Dowels and wax from http://www.annforfungi.co.uk/. We will use dowels initially for ease of use and once we have gained experience we will then inoculate directly with spawn, which will reduce the costs significantly. 4 After discussion with C and M Organics in Hebron they told us that they would buy crops from us at £12 a kg.

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Value Added Land Business Initiatives We plan to develop a number of value added products from the raw ingredients we will grow on our OPD site. Most of these ingredients will be planted as part of a biodiversity improvement measure, but as they mature and become established, they will function as a constant source of raw ingredients for a number of business initiatives. Cosmetics Herbs and plants sourced from our OPD site will be used and processed into hand made cosmetics. These ingredients include: lavender, chamomile, calendula, and spruce. Salena has completed a Diploma in Natural Skincare Design from the School of Holistic Cosmetology. The OPD company Flower Power Organics based at Lammas Ecovillage has proven there is a healthy market for homemade cosmetics with fresh ingredients and has received many requests to develop purely plant-‐based vegan cosmetics, our cosmetics will answer this consumer request. Initially we will start with a basic selection, mainly consisting of macerated oils. The range will all be inspired by our own produce and will be marketed as grown in Wales without the use of any chemicals. We will start off selling all of the macerated oils in two different sizes 50ml and 100ml. They will be sold in amber glass bottles. The oils will be sold in local alternative stores and via the Plant Based Alchemy website. We will also have a market stall at local craft and farmers markets, especially around important times of the year such as Christmas and Mothers Day.

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Outgoings 50ml bottle cost 100ml bottle cost Annual Costs Bottle £0.391 £0.492 Sunflower oil £0.153 £0.304 Label £0.075 £0.076 Insurance £23.677 Market stalls £20.688 Delivery £4.409 Total £0.61 £0.86 £48.75 Income Price Total 50ml bottle

£3.50 250 bottles = £875

100ml bottle £5.50 200 bottles = £1100 Total £1975 Profit Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Expected Sales

50 x 50ml bottles 50 x 100ml bottles



Expected Outgoings

£122.25 £269.25 £373.25

Expected Profit

£327.75 £1080.75 £1601.75

1 Alpha glass bottles from G Baldwins & Co. 2 Alpha glass bottles from G Baldwins & Co. 3 Organic sunflower oil 5 liters from Suma £14.90 4 Organic sunflower oil 5 liters from Suma £14.90 5 Cost for printed labels from Sprint Printers in Cambrian Printers in Aberystwyth. 6 Cost for printed labels from Sprint Printers in Cambrian Printers in Aberystwyth. 7 Craft insurance quote by Ian W Wallace Ltd Craft Insurance, includes liability insurance £71. This has been divided between our cosmetics, flowers and chocolates businesses. 8 Newport Christmas Green Fair - £15, 2 x Steiner School fairs - £30, 2 x Hermon Produce fair - £20 Total market stall costs = £62. As we will be selling cosmetics, flowers and chocolates at the market this figure has been divided between the different value added land based initiatives. 9 We will be doing five market stalls a year: One in Newport, two in Hermon and two in Maenclochog or Clunderwen. As we will be selling cosmetics, flowers and chocolates at the market this figure has been divided between the different value added land based initiatives. This figure does not include the cost of taking orders to the Post Office as this would be completed on route of delivering land based produce.

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Edible bouquets One of our businesses will be an edible bouquet company. The company will focus on growing beautiful crops that can be used for culinary and bouquet purposes.

The main focus for the company will be a selection of edible bouquets. We will offer a large seasonal bouquet and two themed small bouquets; one of the small bouquets will be culinary herbs and the other small bouquet will be tea herbs.

We will be using a mixture of seasonal flowers, herbs and greens in our seasonal bouquets including: basil, bay, borage, calendula, chamomile, chilli, chives, coriander, day lily flowers, dill, fennel, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, line leaves and flowers, lovage, meadowsweet, mint, mizuna, nasturtium, New Zealand spinach, purslane, rose, rosemary, sage, salad burnet, salad rocket, shungiku, sorrel, thyme, vervain.

An example of one of our tea bouquets would be: Refresh and pick me up – basil, calendula, day lily, lavender, lemonbalm, lemon verbena, rosemary and thyme. An example of one of our culinary herb bouquets would be: Bouquet garni – bay, parsley, thyme and oregano. The thought process behind this business is that many people now purchase flowers on a regular basis and the majority of these are flown in from abroad. People are becoming accustomed to buying fruit and vegetables locally but through the business we want educate people to buy their flowers and plants locally and at the same time teach people that you can own something that looks beautiful and tastes beautiful. This will hopefully encourage individuals to plant some of the crops in their garden and make use of beauty and taste the same time. The produce will be

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sold locally through local shops, farmers and craft markets and will be publicised in local café’s and shops. We are both very creative people and come from creative careers and we feel that this business will make use of our current skills and allow us to have a creative input. Herb and flower crops for the business will grow around the house, herb and flower area and veg plot area. After this space is initially set up it is hoped through the use of mulching, perennial planting and self-‐seeding crops it will need little maintenance. Below is a price list for the business: Outgoings Cost per bouquet Annual Costs Cellophane £1.351 Raffia ribbon £0.682 Delivery £4.403 Market stalls £20.664 Insurance £23.675 Total £2.03 £48.73 Income Price Total 50 Full Seasonal bouquets £15 £750 100 Mini bouquets £7.50 £750 Total £1500 Profit Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Expected Sales

10 Full Seasonal bouquets 30 Mini bouquets



Expected Outgoings

£129.93 £231.43 £353.23

Expected Profit

£245.07 £631.07 £1146.77

1 Figures taken from Flower Power Organics bouquet business experience. A 60 cm x 100m roll of vegetable based cellophane £13.50, using on average 1m per bouquet 2 Figures taken from Flower Power Organics bouquet business experience. A 100m roll of raffia ribbon £2.70, using on average 1.5m per bouquet. 3 We will be doing five market stalls a year: One in Newport, two in Hermon and two in Maenclochog or Clunderwen. As we will also selling cosmetics, flowers and chocolates at the market this figure has been divided between the different value added land based initiatives. This figure does not include the cost of taking orders to the Post Office as this would be completed on route of delivering land based produce. 4 Newport Christmas Green Fair - £15, 2 x Steiner School fairs - £30, 2 x Hermon Produce fair - £20 Total market stall costs = £62. As we will be selling cosmetics, flowers and chocolates at the market this figure has been divided between the different value added land based initiatives 5 Craft insurance quote by Ian W Wallace Ltd Craft Insurance, includes liability insurance £71. This has been divided between our cosmetics, flowers and chocolates businesses.

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Raw Chocolate

Raw ingredients sourced from our OPD site will be used to make raw chocolates. These ingredients will include: hazelnuts, yakon, sea buckthorn, lavender, elderberry, gojiberry, raspberries and blackberries. Raw chocolate will be another product sold under Plant Based Alchemy. Raw chocolate is made from pure, raw ingredients and is not heated above 40 degrees centigrade at any stage of the process. We know there is a healthy market for raw chocolates, during 2013-‐2014 a volunteer on a local OPD site set up a raw dessert company called ‘Hedgerow Patisserie’ and reported to me that there was a very healthy market for her raw chocolate products throughout West Wales. During Christmas 2014 we collaborated with the OPD company ‘Flower Power Organics’ to create gift sets containing our raw chocolates. Our products were for sale at Cardiff Christmas market and 60 small boxes of chocolates were sold in one week as a small part of the Flower Power gift set range.

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Raw chocolate is a very popular product among individuals who are looking for a healthy alternative to milk chocolate. The raw chocolates we will be making are all suitable for vegans, sugar cane free and they will all be gluten free, this will be a strong selling point as there are now many people with dairy and gluten intolerances. The products will be sold at local markets, focusing on special occasions such as Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. The chocolates will also be sold via the Plant Based Alchemy website and in local health shops (see appendix for support letters).

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Outgoings Cost for small box

Cost for medium box

Cost for large box

Annual Costs

Box £0.541 £0.692 £0.733 Cushion and label £0.504 £0.50 £0.50 Ingredients not sourced from the land

£0.245 £0.72

£0.96

Market Stalls £20.666 Insurance £23.667 Delivery £4.408 Total £1.28 £1.91 £2.19 £48.72 Income Price Total Small box of chocolates £3.50 250 boxes = £875 Medium box of chocolates £7.50 200 boxes = £1500 Large box of chocolates £10.00 150 boxes = £1500 Total £3875 Profit Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Expected Sales

25 small boxes 20 medium boxes 15 large boxes £387.50

50 small boxes 40 medium boxes 30 large boxes £775




Expected Outgoings

£151.77 £254.82 £460.92 £873.12 £1079.22

Expected Profit

£235.73 £520.18 £1089.08 £2226.88 £2795.78

1 Printed recycled Kraft boxes 62 x 42 x 21mm from Tiny Box 2 Printed recycled Kraft boxes 89 x 89 x 25mm from Tiny Box 3 Printed recycled Kraft boxes 138 x 89 x 25mm from Tiny Box 4 Based on quotes from Meridian Specialty Packaging and Sprint Printers. 5 This includes cacao, lucuma and vanilla. 6 Newport Christmas Green Fair - £15, 2 x Steiner School fairs - £30, 2 x Hermon Produce fair - £20 Total market stall costs = £62. As we will be selling cosmetics, flowers and chocolates at the market this figure has been divided between the different value added land based initiatives 7 Craft insurance quote by Ian W Wallace Ltd Craft Insurance, includes liability insurance £71. This has been divided between our cosmetics, flowers and chocolates businesses. 8 We will be doing five market stalls a year: One in Newport, two in Hermon and two in Maenclochog or Clunderwen. As we will be selling cosmetics, flowers and chocolates at the market this figure has been divided between the different value added land based initiatives. This figure does not include the cost of taking orders to the Post Office as this would be completed on route of delivering land based produce.

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Courses We both have a vast experience in teaching, running workshops and facilitating learning through a number of different mediums and platforms. Drawing on these skills, we plan to develop part of our business to deliver informal educational courses. These courses will focus on all aspects of living a sustainable life from a land-‐based business, from food and nutrition courses, to courses based on developing practical and creative land-‐based skills. Courses we plan on delivering are: Plant based nutrition and cooking courses, medicinal properties of herbs and wild flowers, making your own cosmetics and various craft and practical courses working with natural materials. We have experienced for ourselves how popular these courses can be and the inspiration one can get from meeting like-‐minded people. There is also a whole group of people looking to develop land-‐based skills and reconnect with traditional skills that have been lost through generations. All of the courses will be advertised on our own website, the Low Impact Living Initiative website and social networking sites such as facebook and twitter. We will aim for a maximum number of 8 on each course and run five different courses a year. A break down of costs for each day course: Outgoings Per person Tuition £10 Food £10 Total £201 Income Per person Total Attendee £50 40 attendees Total £2000 Profit Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Expected Attendees

15 20 25 30 40

Expected Outgoings

£300 £400 £500 £600 £800

Expected Profit

£450 £600 £750 £900 £1200

1 This figure is based on experience of running courses and the costs involved.

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Summary The table below summarises the total income from each of our proposed enterprises. Through the development of a number of enterprises, we have ensured that should there be a crop failure, we will still meet the minimum household income requirements of £5930.27 (Table 9) Table 10: Land based profit Land Based Profit Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Top fruit 0 0 0 307.36 614.71 925.07

Soft fruit 0 0 0 186.51 590.37 994.22 Mushrooms 0 0 0 201.36 826.62 1091.87

Cosmetics 0 0 0 327.75 1080.75 1601.75

Edible bouquets 0 0 0 245.07 631.07 1146.77 Raw Chocolates 0 235.73 520.18 1089.08 2226.88 2795.78 Courses 0 450 600 750 900 1200 Total 0 685.73 1120.18 3107.13 6870.40 9755.46

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Land Management Management Plan Our land management plan has been devised on the recommendations of the ecological survey, information based on the Local Biodiversity Action Plan and over twelve months of personal observation. We purchased the land in June 2013. We have since then been observing and surveying the land to decide on the optimal areas to locate the different aspects of our development. It is clear that there are areas of very low biodiversity, with contrasting areas of very high biodiversity (as highlighted in the ecological survey) and it is our aim to create more of a balance between these contrasting areas. Each area of the land will be managed to be mutually beneficial to one another and not considered in isolation. The biodiversity measures to improve and conserve the current levels are: Conservation of hedgerows The hedgerows will be managed lightly, with some minimal coppicing of trees, removal of barbed wire and the introduction of more native wildflowers. The species of introduced flowers will be based on the observations of surrounding hedgerows. Care will be taken that they derive from true native varieties of local provenance. Creation of new hedgerow A new hedgerow will be planted the entire length of the track way in the lower field. This hedgerow will be based on the species within the existing hedgerows surrounding the site. A higher proportion of flowering and berry producing species will be planted to support and enhance wildlife population. Creation of broadleaved woodland The current spruce plantation will be gradually thinned out and replaced with broadleaved trees, most of which will be sourced from seedlings produced by the existing trees on site (a constant canopy will be maintained throughout the process).

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Below are examples of tree planting and thinning of woodlands we have completed in the last twelve months

The woodland will be based on replicating the habitat within the existing hedgerows and will span the entire north of the site. The woodland will eventually be coppiced with a number of large trees left as standards to grow into maturity and a small proportion of spruce will be retained and left to grow into maturity. Throughout the woodland there will be bat, owl and bird boxes installed, along with habitat woodpiles and brash piles.

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An example of brash piles and wildlife piles we have started to develop in the last twelve months.

Creation of wildlife ponds We aim to dig at least two wildlife ponds throughout the site to improve the wetland habitat. The ponds will be designed to support a diverse range of species, with the design elements including shallow banks and oxygenating plants. The ponds will be located to make full use of the beneficial ecosystem they create. Creation of forest garden Given that the climate is changing in an unpredictable way, we believe that planting a high diversity of species is the best possible action to prevent food scarcity in the future. A forest garden is the ideal environment in which to plant a high diversity of species and once established can yield large quantities of food indefinitely with very little human input. A forest garden radically improves soil condition and is based on growing perennial crops in a symbiotic relationship with other beneficial species, (including nitrogen fixing and mineral accumulating species) to gain high crop yields and maintain a healthy eco system.

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An example of a planting system within a forest garden

The forest garden will be established within the boundaries of the spruce plantation, making use of the existing wind break and provide optimal conditions to establish a forest garden. The species within the forest garden will be chosen to have a long flowering period, to attract bees and other beneficial insects. Within the forest garden will be planted top fruit, soft fruit and nut producing trees. Creation of herb and flower garden The herb and flower garden will be established in North West of the lower field. The majority of herbs and flowers planted in the garden will be perennial; this will mean that once the garden is established maintenance will be kept to a minimum of mulching, weeding and dividing plants when necessary. A no-‐dig approach will be implemented throughout the entire garden. To create the no-‐dig beds, the ground will be covered with cardboard, green waste, seaweed, Rockdust1 and a layer of well-‐rotted horse manure (making use of the well rotted manure heap already on site). A cold frame heated by organic matter will be located in the garden next to a manure pile. This system will provide extra heat to germinate seedlings in the spring. 1 Alan Titchmarsh wrote in his 'Dream Gardens' column in The Daily Express: "A good source of trace elements is to apply rock dust. This relative newcomer is a by-product from the Scottish quarrying industry and is basically very ancient volcanic rock (420 million years old to be precise) that has been ground very finely. It is full of trace elements and minor nutrients, it is a good tonic and entirely natural. Apply it at any time of year but it's best used in autumn/winter at half-a-kg per square metre. On islands such as Java the locals grow fantastic crops in the same soil without ever using fertiliser because of the natural volcanic dust present in the ground."

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Habitat creation for beneficial insects will be an integral design detail to encourage a diverse range of wildlife to help with the control of pests. At the end of the growing season all unused seed heads will remain on the plants as a source of food for wildlife. Water will be provided by a gravity fed system from a pond located above the herb and flower garden. Creation of vegetable garden The vegetable garden will be created in the middle of the northern section of the lower field. The area will consist of four different sections: no-‐dig vegetable beds, permanent yacon beds, ducks and polytunnels. All beds will be established using a no-‐dig system as described in the herb and flower garden section above along with habitat creation for beneficial insects and wildlife. The vegetable beds area will be 468m2 and consist of thirty-‐two beds. This area will be large enough to allow us to grow over 65% of our own vegetables (See appendix for detailed drawings of the vegetable beds). A large section of the garden will be used to grow Yacon – a tuber which is a delicious glucose free sweetener. It is well suited to the local climate and has been successfully grown locally in both Lammas and Brithdir Mawr. Ducks will be used in the garden for organic pest control of slugs and fertilisation of the soil through their manure. The duck eggs will be used for personal consumption. A cold frame will be situated next to the duck house to harness the heat created by the ducks while they are locked in during the nights. The vegetable garden will include two polytunnels. Each polytunnel will have a wildlife pond to encourage frogs and other beneficial creatures, the water also acts as a heat sink at night. Adjacent to the polytunnels will be the field shelter and the heat from the field shelter will penetrate into the polytunnel during the night. A screen of fruit producing shrubs and bushes will be planted around the area of the polytunnels. Water will be provided by a gravity feed system from a pond located above the herb and flower garden. Creation of Paddock Paradise South of the vegetable garden will be an area dedicated to horses. Horses are an integral aspect of the development, primarily to convert the pasture into a constant source of manure, but also as a source of transport around the site and locally. This area will be based on the ‘Paddock Paradise’ system developed by Jaime Jackson. A ‘Paddock Paradise’ is a system where horses are kept in an environment that mimics a wild habitat and enables the horses to express their natural behaviour. It consists of a number of different areas that the horses can explore, including:

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woodland, wetland/pond, pasture, dust bath and field shelter. The system also incorporates different surface materials that encourage the horses’ hooves to wear down naturally. Each area of the system is fenced and gated, with a continuous track way around the circumference. An example of a paddock paradise trackway

Within the system will be dedicated areas for hay production and provide winter feed for the horses. We aim to produce on site all of the feed for the horses, with a mixture of grass, oats, trees, bushes, herbs and flowers. This aspect will not be developed until after the initial five year period, therefore horse feed has been added into our household needs for the first five years (see Table 9). Given the intricate nature of establishing a ‘Paddock Paradise’ system, this will be an aspect of the development that will continue to evolve beyond the initial five years. Soil condition and care The analysis of the current state of the soil shows that it is both acidic and low in nutrients. Below is a list of the improvement measures and practises that we will incorporate in the management of the soil:

• Liming the soil to balance the ph level • Minimal digging or tilling of the soil • Continually adding nutrients to the soil through manure, woodchip, green

manure etc. • Maintaining a constant ground cover of diverse species • No use of pesticides or herbicides • Introduction of Mycorrhizal fungi into the woodland and forest garden • Maintaining and improving shelter beds • Recycling and returning all nutrients back to the soil

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Infrastructure The infrastructure of the development, including all buildings, polytunnels and track ways will be positioned where minimal visual impact is naturally occurring due to existing hedgerows. This will be enhanced further with the creation of new hedgerows, screens of willow, fruit bushes and small trees.

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Energy and Water

Energy We currently live entirely off grid with all of our energy coming from renewable sources. Having lived off grid and developed a way of living around renewable energy production, we have designed our business initiatives to be naturally low in energy consumption. Our dwelling and ancillary building will be positioned to receive maximum solar gain, reducing the amount of fuel needed for heat when the sun is out. The dwelling will be highly insulated and low wattage LED light bulbs will be installed throughout. Electricity We aim to meet all of our electricity requirements with a solar array, consisting of 3 x 800 watt solar panels, 10 x 700 Ahr batteries and a 2kw inverter. This will produce a maximum of 9.6 Kwh of energy a day during the summer and maximum of 2.4 Kwh of energy a day during the winter. The solar power requirements have been calculated on 1 hour of sunlight per day in winter (minimum) and 4 hours sunlight during the summer (average). Table 11: Outline of daily electricity requirements during summer Power requirements per day Kwh 2 x Laptops (2 hours per day) 0.4 Kwh Small items (phones/ipod/cameras/ small battery charger) 0.2 Kwh Stereo (2 hours per day) 0.12 Kwh Small kitchen appliances (e.g. food processor) 0.04 Kwh Summer LED Lighting 0.05 Kwh Workshop LED Lighting 0.05 Kwh Food dehydrator (12 hours per day during summer months) 2.4 Kwh Fridge 0.65 Kwh

Total daily requirements 3.91 Kwh Solar panels producing a maximum daily amount 9.6 Kwh

Table 12: Outline of daily electricity requirements during winter Power requirements per day Kwh 2 x Laptops (2 hours per day) 0.4 Kwh Small items (phones/ipod/cameras/ small battery charger) 0.2Kwh Stereo (2 hours per day) 0.12 Kwh Small kitchen appliances (e.g. food processor) 0.04 Kwh Workshop LED Lighting 0.05 Kwh Winter LED Lighting 0.3 Kwh Fridge 0.65 Kwh

Total daily requirements 1.76 Kwh Solar panels producing a maximum daily amount 2.4 Kwh

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Heating, Cooking and Hot Water Heating and cooking will be provided by a wood fuelled range, which will also heat water. The thinning of the spruce plantation will yield between 6 and 8 tonnes of wood each year, which is more than ample for our development. Beyond the harvesting of the spruce plantation there will be the sustainable coppicing of broadleaved trees from the woodland and hedgerows. We have considered our options for cooking during the summer months when lighting a wood fuelled range isn’t practicable. In this instance we may need to supplement our renewable energy with a small gas fuelled stove. However, we also plan to use an outside wood fuelled oven and a food dehydrator that is powered by solar electricity. Both of these are viable options for processing food during the summer months. A solar hot water system will be installed on the roof of the dwelling to provide hot water during the summer months.

Water To meet our water needs we have a number of different initiatives in place, these include: Rainwater harvesting, drawing water from a well and developing new water catchment areas (ponds and swales). We are fortunate to have a site with abundant water. There are two active wells in the upper field that supply the site with water. The average UK consumption of water is 150 litres per capita per day, which includes flushing toilets and washing machines, dishwashers etc. We expect to use no more than 40 litres per person per day for all of our domestic needs. We have had the experience of collecting water for domestic use and as a result we are confident we can comfortably stay within the 40 litres per person per day. The two main elements that enable us to achieve this are the use of a small washbasin for all domestic use and having a shower rather than a bath. For most of our business enterprises the source of water will come purely from rainwater harvesting. All structures on site will have efficient rainwater harvesting systems installed. Our business enterprises have been developed to not be heavily reliant on water and the majority of the produce we plan on growing is deep rooted (e.g. trees and bushes). We plan to dig a series of trenches and water catchment areas that will naturally irrigate produce and avoid the transportation of large amounts of water by hand. Based on the equation of average rainfall x surface area of the dwelling, workshop and polytunnels we estimate an average of 110,000 litres of rainwater harvesting per year.

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Any livestock will be watered using a mixture of both harvested rainwater and an existing trough linked to a well situated off site. Our plan once developed fully will increase the access to water onsite beyond what there is available now. With effective rainwater harvesting and recycling we foresee our usage of existing water supplies being very little. This system will ensure water security in times of drought and improve the biodiversity of the site with the inclusion of ponds and a wetland system.

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Waste All non-‐cooked domestic food waste will be composted and used to improve soil condition in the domestic vegetable garden. Any cooked food waste will be composted in a wormery, or bokashi system that processes cooked food into suitable, highly fertile compost. All grey water will be processed through a reed bed system that will then lead into a wetland area. We only ever use eco friendly and natural detergents. The grey water is filtered in the reed bed system and will either be left to return to the ground, or collected and used to irrigate trees and shrubs. Human faeces and urine will be processed using a Separett Villa 9010 system. This system separates the faeces and urine. The faeces will be collected and composted within a separate area until it is suitable to use as human manure. This system involves no digging and the faeces are composted above ground. Once the pathogens have broken down, the human manure will be distributed around the site at the base of trees and shrubs where it will not come into direct contact with the fruits. All green waste and waste produced by our business initiatives will be returned to the ground as mulch to improve soil condition. All livestock manures will be used in the domestic vegetable garden and in the forest garden. Other household waste, such as non-‐degradable packaging, plastic, glass etc. is kept to minimal levels due to our existing purchasing/usage/recycling practices. We currently purchase items that require little or no packaging and produce less than one small carrier bag of waste every two weeks. This could be decreased further with growing and consuming more of our own produce.

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Zero Carbon Buildings The practice guidance refers to the requirement that all buildings subject to building regulations need to demonstrate zero carbon in construction and use. Both our dwelling and workshop will not be subject to building regulations. Our dwelling will be built to a specification that qualifies it to come under the category of a caravan and the workshop will be an agricultural building. As we are not building a house on site, we have chosen to omit the required CfSH report, which we consider to not be relevant in the construction of a caravan. Also, the categories under which the construction materials are assessed for the CfSH will not apply to our development. Given that materials will be sourced on site and from small local suppliers who do not have the necessary certification, the materials will not be assessable, despite the ethical and sustainable way in which they are grown and harvested. However, we still consider it crucial to remain within the ethos of the planning policy, especially when presenting our intentions for the construction of all buildings within the development. For this reason we have detailed all the materials to be used in the construction and where they will be sourced. We aim to have as little impact on the land as possible with regards to buildings and have designed all buildings to sit above the ground on very minimal foundations. The buildings will be constructed with a wooden exterior to blend naturally into the surrounding woodland environment.

Domestic Buildings The dwelling As stated above, the dwelling will be designed and built to the specification of a caravan and as a result it will be possible to the remove it from the site as a whole unit. This enables an exit strategy to be carried out with very minimal impact to the site. The dwelling will be constructed from a round wood frame and wood cladded exterior. The existing spruce plantation will provide the bulk of the timber used in the construction, which will be used in the round and also milled on-‐site. All other timber will be sourced locally from sustainable sources. The roofing materials will be Coroline sheets, which are made from bitumen impregnated recycled cellulose fibre. Recycled and reclaimed materials will be used whenever possible in the construction of the dwelling, including windows and window frames.

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Table 13: Construction materials for dwelling Material Source Timber (Internal) Spruce -‐ onsite Timber (External) Larch and Douglas Fir – locally (Growing Heart

Boncath) Mortar Lime – locally (DP Building Supplies) Stone On site and locally (Glogue Quarry) Roof Coroline Windows Recycled -‐ locally Breather Membrane Locally (DP Building supplies) Insulation Sheep’s wool (Bribwll Farm Glandwr) Guttering and fixings Recycled and locally (DP Building supplies) All timber used in the construction of buildings will be 100% legally sourced. The dwelling will be orientated to receive maximum solar gain from sunlight and blend naturally into the woodland surroundings. A wood fuelled stove will provide heat and hot water from 100% biomass sourced on site. The roof guttering will be attached to a rainwater harvesting system.

Ancillary Buildings Workshop The workshop will be designed and built using the same materials as the dwelling. Compost Toilet The compost toilet will be a small timber shed constructed from the existing materials on site. Polytunnels There will be two 7m x 16m polytunnels, each polytunnel will have rainwater-‐harvesting facilities and this water will be used to irrigate the crops inside the polytunnels. Poultry Housing All the poultry housing will be constructed from timber sourced on site. Field Shelter A small field shelter will be erected in the pasture area to shelter horses from the worst of the weather and for collecting manure.

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Community Impact We have met with all of our immediate neighbours to discuss our plans and to begin developing good relations with the community. What is evident from our meetings is that most of the residents are of an older generation than us -‐ the younger people have moved out of the community to find affordable housing and work. The residents are keen to see younger people moving into the area and work the land; so far everyone we have met has expressed their support for our proposal. Table 14: Community impact Positive Community Impact Details Contributing to the economy of the local community.

Engaging with local businesses as a customer and supplier. Selling produce locally

Contributing socially to the local community.

Maintain friendships we have developed with local people.

Providing a resource for information on sustainable living.

Running courses and open days.

Negative Impacts Mitigation Visual impact of development. All buildings will be obscured from view

through the use of existing features and further tree/hedgerow planting. All buildings will be constructed from wood with a wooden exterior to blend into the woodland environment. Extensive tree and wild flower planting will increase the aesthetic appearance of the development.

Increased traffic. Implementing a sustainable travel and transport plan. Joining the car share scheme (currently being setup at Lammas eco village).

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Transport Baseline The only traffic that is currently generated by the site is our car, which we use to visit the site on an average of two trips per week. Rail links: The closest train station is Clunderwen at 6.5 miles. From here you can travel to Carmarthen and Cardiff. Bus links: There is a monthly service between Hebron and Carmarthen every Wednesday, which is provided by Jones Login (No:223).

Residents We plan to use one vehicle for our development – a large fuel-‐efficient car. Currently our major use of transport is: commuting to local shops to buy food and to our proposed OPD site to carry out land management. This level of transport usage would be lowered considerably once we are present on the land and begin growing our own produce. We could also take advantage of a locally delivered veg box scheme that will supplement our own produce until we become more self-‐sufficient. The local shop where we will purchase most of our food is close enough to be accessed on foot, or by bicycle (C and M Organics). We are both keen cyclists and prefer this mode of transport during spells of good weather. Most of our social activities take place very close to our proposed OPD site, so consequently, we can continue to enjoy these while attending on foot, or by bicycle.

Enterprises We want to embed our enterprises into the local community as much as possible, therefore our aim is to sell the produce to local wholesalers and at local produce markets. The majority of our produce will be sold either directly to the community or to local wholesalers, effectively reducing the number of trips needed to deliver produce. Some of our products (e.g. skin care/cosmetics) will also be marketed and sold online through our website. We aim to combine the postage of these products with other necessary trips, or arrange for them to be collected and delivered by a courier service. Our overall aim is to combine as much as possible into one trip and possibly extend this to combine other people’s produce too through use of a car-‐sharing scheme (currently being setup at the Lammas eco village). We are keen to engage with volunteers for skills sharing and extra help during the busiest times of the year (e.g. harvest, coppicing). We will encourage all volunteers to arrive by local transport who are travelling from a wider area. We would however like to engage with local people who can arrive by foot, this could include the possibility of sharing volunteers with other local OPD sites.

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Visitors Visits to the site will come from family, friends and people attending open days/courses. Visitors will be encouraged to come by public transport and to arrive on days that coincide with other travel plans, so they can be combined – e.g. collecting visitors from the train station while collecting/delivering produce. We will be holding open days throughout the year, which will be advertised locally. These days will be aimed at local people who can come on foot, or car share if not coming from the immediate vicinity. All of our advertising will promote the reduction of fossil fuelled transport and highlight that reducing transport is integral to our development. Visitors will be encouraged to car share, use public transport, or walk and cycle to our development. The courses that we will be delivering from the site will have a concessionary charge from people who arrive by public transport, and/or arrive with a car full of passengers. Courses will be limited to a small number of places.

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Table 15: Transport Assessment and Travel Plan

Proposed Transport and Travel Plan No. of trips

by public transport per year

No. of trips by foot and bicycle per year

No. of trips by vehicle per year

Mile radius/catchment area from site

Procurement of resources that cannot be sourced on site.

5 20 35 30 miles

Selling at farmers markets/local produce fairs etc.

5 35 miles1

Socially activities. 5 12 20 30 miles Visiting family. 12 70 miles Delivery of produce grown/produced on site.

52 37 miles2

Visits from family and friends.

5 10 25 Nationwide

Volunteers. 2 5 2 Nationwide Open days. 8 4 12 Nationwide Miscellaneous visits to the site. (e.g. skilled professionals)

2 30 miles

Totals 25 51 165

1 We will be attending markets in Newport, Hermon and the Steiner Fair markets which are usually either in Maenclochog or Clunderwen. 2 The majority of our produce will be delivered to Bwyd y Byd in Crymych, Post Office in Crymych, Wholefoods of Newport and C & M Organics in Hebron. If we delivered produce to all of these places in one round trip this would be 36.3 miles.

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Strategy Our business enterprise and regular day-‐to-‐day lives will be as locally based as possible, resulting in short and in-‐frequent journeys, including journeys on foot or by bicycle. We consider the travel impact of our development to be equally as important as all other aspects, not only for the environmental and community impact, but also for the financial sustainability of running a successful business. Fuel costs are only going to increase over the coming years and embedding our business into a local system is integral to success and sustainability. We envisage the greatest travel impact from our proposed development coming from visitors to the site, being social visits and business related visits. We plan to sell produce from the site to the local community, who naturally would be passing the development to and from their homes. We do not intend on marketing and advertising our produce outside of the local area, other than to wholesalers and companies who can receive large deliveries. Volunteer and social visits will be encouraged to coincide with public transport timetables and other events where car sharing is possible. Our travel impact will be continually assessed through the EFA calculator with a definitive ceiling value set per year. A monitoring scheme will be implemented to document the exact number of vehicular journeys each year, with this information being included in the annual monitoring report.

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Phasing, monitoring and exit strategy Management of site has already begun with small-‐scale interventions to improve biodiversity. This phase of land management will involve harvesting the spruce plantation, small-‐scale biodiversity improvement measures and cutting the lower field for silage. We plan to move to the site immediately upon an approval of our application and after basic facilities have been installed. Year one

• Move onto site. • Set up temporary home in a touring caravan, plumb in water supply, set up

solar powered electricity system, compost toilet, grey water system, post box and Internet access.

• Lay trackway and landscape soil bank for new hedgerow. • Erect fencing around domestic garden and forest garden site. • Begin to establish vegetable garden. • Begin planting soft fruit and fruit trees in forest garden. • Purchase ducks and build duck shed. • Complete foundations for dwelling. • Establish grey water reed bed/wetland system.

Year two

• Drainage works and irrigation. • Erect polytunnels. • Continue establishing vegetable garden. • Continue to establish forest garden. • Dig irrigation pond. • Complete construction of dwelling. • Begin planting trees in woodland and hedgerow.

Year three

• Finish establishing forest garden. • Tree planting in woodland and hedgerow. • Dig wildlife pond. • Begin constructing workshop. • Purchase horses. • Begin establishing Paddock paradise. • Build field shelter.

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Year four

• Tree planting in woodland. • Complete construction of workshop. • Continue to establish paddock paradise. • Dig wildlife pond.

Year five

• Tree planting. • Continue to establish paddock paradise. • Fully establish all business aspects of OPD development.

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Ecological Footprint Assessment Our EFA calculator spreadsheet is included as an appendix. As we are currently volunteering on a one planet development this has resulted in us already starting to make the transmission to a one planet life so we have been advised to place our current consumption figures in the second column – Estimated Household Figures on First Habitation. It estimates our Ecological Footprints is currently 2.23gHa/capita. It estimates our Ecological Footprints at year five will be 1.2gHa/capita. A one-‐planet footprint is considered to be 1.88 gHa/cap. The National average is 3.6 gHa/cap. These results illustrate that we will be living a one-‐planet footprint. Other Footprints Whilst the EFA analysis that has been undertaken is very comprehensive some elements of the project do not fall within its remit. These have been identified as: Negative influences 1. Social visitors

As set out in our proposed travel plan the ecological impacts of friends and family visiting will be small and everybody will be encouraged to use public transport. A large amount of the social visits will be from local friends who are able to walk or cycle and where cars are used it will often involve useful exchanges such as work or produce.

2. Transport impacts associated with business activities We will be able to tie in all our deliveries into one weekly round trip. The majority of our produce will be delivered locally to C & M Organics in Hebron, Bwyd y Byd in Crymych and Wholefoods of Newport. The remainder of our produce will be posted in the local Post Office in Crymych while on route. If we delivered produce to all of these places in one weekly trip (34.4 miles) every week, this would result in 1788.8 miles a year.

3. Additional ingredients for value-‐added business We will need to buy in sunflower oil initially for our cosmetic business. To limit the ecological footprint of this, where possible we will use a U.K supplier and buy in bulk to limit the packaging and delivery.

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For our raw chocolate business we will need to buy in cacao, lucuma and vanilla. We will purchase these from Tree Harvest, Devon as they source the from small farmer co-‐operatives. The cacao we purchase comes from a small farmer co-‐operative in Peru and Tree-‐Harvest sources have worked with this co-‐operative since 2001. The important principles behind the Peruvian Co-‐operative, which Tree-‐Harvest supports, is that they work based on: i) quality rather than quantity, ii) diversity, fostering Andean mega-‐biodiversity, not homogenization, iii) promoting an organic system of production, iv) income distribution among the people that participate as suppliers, transformers, and traders, and v) social responsibility, following the principles of fair trade. They work in association with small farmers, generating employment for the local population; they offer advice on their organization as small entrepreneurs by providing training and financial support, thereby raising the living standards of the small farmers, while at the same time increasing their crop yield. The vanilla we purchase comes from near the Virunga National Park in Uganda. The farmer also supports the neighbouring Le Jardin Farmer Association which teaches farmers to produce vanilla, cocoa and spices to organic standards. The partnership has become the lifeline for many families in an area of extreme rural poverty. He aims to be 'renowned for outstanding products that are produced in harmony with nature and in a sustainable and fair relationship with the local producers.'

So through purchasing these products from Tree Harvest we will be supporting ecological projects and farmers across the globe.

Positive influences 1. Food, cosmetics, flowers and education supplied locally.

Within 5 years the project expects to generate approximately £9769.98 of low-‐carbon produce for the local economy. As over 90% of the fruit and vegetables that Wales consumes is imported and undergoes energy intensive industrial processing and travels thousands of miles, this represents a massive energy and pollution saving.

2. The inspirational and promotional impact that the project will generate. The project aspires to have a beneficial impact on the wider community, promoting both the concepts and the practicality of low-‐impact living. This will help contribute towards the Welsh Governments aspirations towards a sustainable society.

3. Low impact plant-‐based, gluten free diet. Both occupants of the land will be living on a plant-‐based, gluten free diet. Our diet will be free from energy intensive cereal crops. As neither occupant consumes meat, we will also not have to take into consideration the energy intensive food that large livestock animals consume and the impact this has on

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our ecological footprint. A plant-‐based diet also has less drain on water resources.

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Monitoring A monitoring report will be submitted to the planning authorities annually as set out in the policy guidelines. This report will include all of the information required and presented in the format laid out in the policy guidelines. The information included in the monitoring report will include:

• An EFA progress report. • An EFA assessment in years 3 and 5. • A revised Management Plan in year 5 and every fifth year thereafter. • An evaluation detailing the proportion of food derived from the site. • An assessment of the projects minimum needs. • An evaluation of the land-based productivity. • Clear evidence that the residential use continues to be directly linked to the

management of the land. • An assessment of the energy needs and productivity of the site. • An assessment of the water needs and sources within the project. • An assessment of the waste processing and disposal patterns of the project. • Commentary on the ʻzero carbon useʼ of all the buildings on site. • Annual monitoring of community impacts, discussing mitigation measures being

implemented to balance any negative impacts. • An assessment of the biodiversity improvement measures, based on the

objectives described in the land management section and the key recommendations in the ecological survey.

• Annual assessment of the transport impact of the site against the Travel and Transport Assessment Plan (including data on the number and nature of vehicle trips generated by the site).

Exit strategy Should we fail to achieve the essential characteristics of the OPD as stipulated in the guidelines, our exit strategy will be implemented and all structures will be completely removed from site. Very little evidence will be left behind due to the intrinsically light footprint of the proposed structures. Whether the exit strategy is implemented in year one or year five, at the very least the site will have improved biodiversity and healthier soil structure. At the best, the site will be left with a larger and more diverse woodland system, a trackway enabling better access to the site, a wetland system, fruit trees/shrubs/forest garden/ponds and vastly improved biodiversity.

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Appendix

EFA

Ecological survey report

Ordinance Survey map of site

Map of site

Soil analysis

Scaled drawing of dwelling

Scaled drawing of workshop

Scaled drawing of site plan

Design and Access Statement

Business support letters

Vegetable garden plan and plant list

Carmarthenshire local biodiversity action plan

LANDMAP information and data

Distribution maps of species in Carmarthenshire West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre has created a record of species within 2 miles of site

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