Tiny house in a Sussex field 'could solve Britain's housing crisis'

That’s the hope of landowner Piers Calvert who has sited the house – an eco ‘glamping’ house – in one of his sheep fields at Holmbush Farm near Horsham.

He is now seeking retrospective planning permission for the eco-cabin – an off-grid, zero-carbon cabin on stilts with solar panels and composting toilet – from Horsham District Council.

In a statement to the council he said that the eco-cabin was cheap to build, and cheap to run.

It is a joint venture between the farm and a company called RightSiZED, founded by the cabin’s architect Bill Dunster.

“Bill has designed and built zero-carbon social housing, schools, offices, zero-carbon homes, solar PV roofs, electric bicycles, solar bicycle charging stations and many more ingredients that facilitate a low or zero carbon lifestyle,” said Piers.

He said the Holmbush Farm eco-cabin was the second prototype of a project to show that an innovative form of zero-carbon construction could be implemented “to create durable zero-carbon, zero-bills, off-grid homes which are net-zero to build and net-zero to run.

"Furthermore these homes are also equipped with all the comforts modern living requires, including 240v mains, hot shower, central heating, internet, kettle, fridge to name but a few.

“The plan is to show that this type of housing can be affordable, and that it can play an important role in potentially resolving the housing crisis.

"The Holmbush eco-cabin has been presented at ministerial level to the government, and the housing minister Christopher Pincher visited it under construction.”

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Meanwhile, since being sited at the farm, the eco-cabin has been let as an Airbnb giving guests “a very unique chance to experience first-hand how comfortable off-grid living can be and also to share some of the amenity of this beautiful area,” says Piers.

He said they were also assessing the type of eco-cabin building “to see if larger versions could be used on the farm adjacent to built-up areas in order to provide essential local housing.

“There is hopefully the potential here at Holmbush to build zero-carbon, low-bills homes affordably, which can therefore be rented out affordably to local people.

"Our current estate housing stock is permanently full and we have a long waiting list and frequent requests for estate cottages from locals, which we are usually unable to fulfil.”

He said he originally thought that planning permission was not required for the eco-cabin.

“It arrived on a trailer and can be taken away again on a trailer, and is not in continuous occupation – hence we believed that planning permission was not required for it.

"However we have been advised by Horsham District Council that full planning permission is required, and in accordance with this request we submit this application for the change of use of a portion of the field in which it resides to glamping, and for the positioning of the eco-cabin there.”

The sheep field where it is sited is also used every September for the ‘Tough Mudder’ obstacle course event.