The Lammas ecovillage is a collective of eco-smallholdings working together to create and sustain a culture of land-based self-reliance. The project supports a permaculture approach to land management – in which human beings are considered an intrinsic part of the ecosystem. As a result our approach to environmental management is one of stewardship for future generations rather than exploitation for short term gain.
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The Residents
The residents of the ecovillage have come from all walks of life and their plots are individual expressions of sustainable living. Some residents like to remain private, while others are happy to share their knowledge through running courses and tours of their smallholdings, and by accepting volunteers. (hyperlinks) Most plots have a dwelling-house, covered growing areas (greenhouses and poly-tunnels), barns and/or workshop space (for livestock, storage and crafts), and are subdivided into different areas depending on the needs of the residents and their livelihoods.
Resources
Water, trackways and electricity are generally managed collectively and the plots are largely dedicated to growing food, land-based businesses, growing biomass and processing organic waste. Land-based enterprises include fruit and vegetable production, livestock and bees, woodland and willow crafts, value-added food production, and seed production.
Planning
Originally planning permission was granted for 9 smallholdings. Since then there has been a range of peripheral development adding to the community here. Under the planning conditions smallholders report to the Council each year, setting out their progress against a series of performance indicators that include traffic generation, land-based productivity, and ecological foot-printing. The Lammas Ecovillage was one of the first projects to benefit from the One Planet Development planning policy.
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Natural Building
The dwellinghouses, workshops and barns have been designed and built by the residents themselves, with a lot of help from volunteers. For the most part they are built from local natural materials or recycled materials. Low-impact construction is by its very nature, organic and low-cost.
Landscape
Prior to development the land was, in common with most of our rural landscape, depleted pasture. Residents have since transformed the landscape and created a mosaic of diverse ecologies. Trackways have been created across the site and water patterns have been carefully mapped and harnessed to retain as much water in the landscape as possible. Wild plants and native trees have been planted alongside specific plants chosen for their adaptability and productivity.
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Energy and Water
Residents use combinations of hydro power, solar power and wind turbines. The Tir y Gafel residents benefit from a shared 27kW hydro generator. Heating is generally supplied from either electrical dump loads (converting spare electricity into heat) or timber (either waste timber from our woodland management or from short-rotation-coppice biomass plantations).
Domestic water comes from a private spring and other water needs are predominantly met from harvesting rainwater.
The Vision
The Lammas Ecovillage aims to demonstrate a thriving example of low-impact development, providing an educational resource pointing the way for truly sustainable rural developments of the future. The land is being developed to improve the synergy of the different habitats across the site, simultaneously enhancing bio-diversity and leading to an increased but sustainable yield from the land.
More…
You can watch a free online video series that features the early days of setting up Lammas, as well as some feature films about ecovillage living.