A VERY BRITISH UTOPIA

Off grid communities have always been a real fascination for me but this is the first project I’ve looked at them in the UK. With soaring house princes and a particular lack of affordable homes, more and more people are looking for alternatives ways of living that don’t mean you’re slave to a 30 year mortgage and a 40 hour a week job you hate. Laws in Wales are beginning to relax slightly, in regards to building a home on green belt land as long as it can conform to a strict set of rules regarding it’s sustainable and self sufficient nature. This has lead to a slow but steady growth in these communities, some of which have been around since the mid 1970’s, often having to hide from or fight the law, they are now beginning to be given legitimacy.  

The communities I visited differed vastly, but the freethinking, principled nature of the people was ever present, with their deep commitment to a way of life that puts the importance of environmental health and community ahead of material possessions.  

"THE FIRST HOUSE I MADE COST 50 PENCE TO BUILD"