Introduction to ThinkTank

Scheduled for completion in May 2020, the release of my research project ‘ThinkTank’ discusses ideas for the future of building in rural communities and agricultural settings. Green space is disappearing from the planet faster than ever before and I am sceptical that the human race is maximising its efforts to do it in the most eco-friendly and efficient way possible.

Whilst the expansion of cities is inevitable and, in a way, a slightly separate issue to countryside development, the way we build cities is heavily scrutinised and constantly analysed by planners. Whilst green space is often heavily protected by numerous laws and regulations, I feel there is much less consideration given (on average) to each new structure erected in the countryside and I want to know why that is the case.

Source: Burden Bros Construction

The idea for this project came about from looking at and analysing developments in my immediate environment and noticing a personal internal debate about how I felt about each of them. Being a dog owner and currently living with 3 dogs, I spend a reasonable amount of time exploring public footpaths and rural environments and often consider the origins of the structures I come across in my day to day life. Each structure has its own back story and history and I find it stimulating to explore the possibilities of what each story contains.

I’m going to draw my initial inspiration from my local environment and consider the lifespans of rural buildings, the way we are currently developing both housing projects and rural plots and how this might shape what happens to the countryside in the future. From there I plan on putting personal feelings to one side and research in depth the issues surrounding UK green space development. I want to also explore the global picture and try to unpick what is happening at the macro scale of the environment. In an age where climate change receives so much media coverage, I think every individual now has a responsibility to understand their personal impact on the planet. Even whilst the leading corporate companies invest billions in climate change awareness projects, I believe it is fundamentally important not to forget that changed have to happened at a grassroots level and work their way through social systems as mainstream cultural shifts.

Source: UK Construction Media

I hope to gain some specific understanding about agricultural building processes and what the rates of development are for green spaces in the UK. I will investigate the housing crisis and the rate at which the development of housing estates is impacting rural land and what the alternative solutions could be. I would love to see a harmonious landscape that transitions seamlessly in all areas from farmland to city centres across the country. It is a tough ask, but it’s something I am passionate about and feel we are running out of time to protect green space in the UK. I will discuss whether there is a need for agricultural architects who specialise in rural developments, or whether it is down to planning applications to maintain the character of the site. Do architects need to even get involved at all or is it someone else’s problem to deal with?

I guess I’ll wait and see as I research further, but I can’t wait to get started.

Why am I doing it?

While sitting at the desk in my bedroom editing Portfolio pages, blog entries for the website or some separate design projects, I have a fantastic view of some semi-developed agricultural and commercial land in a protected green space. Over the last decade that view has changed considerably for a variety of reasons. I have extremely fond memories exploring the outdoors as a small child, digging in the dirt, searching through the undergrowth for a football that went into the hedge or occasionally getting involved with small scale garden projects. I have also had a love of the natural world and strongly believe every change we make to it should be a considered one.

The most noticeable change is actually one my family and I did ourselves. In 2018 we undertook a huge project to renovate our garden and removed a number of medium shrubs and trees along our border with the field to the NW of our garden. It exposed the spare parking used by the car dealership next door to our property, which had seen lots of semi-permanent changes that were now visible. The field is only leased from a private owner, but that hasn’t stopped large amounts of gravel and hardcore being dumped to create parking and storage for a large volume of cars.

Source: Google Maps of my surrounding context. Lakes on the East. Dairy Processing development in the North West.

Whilst not immediately problematic, the increased volume of stored material has drawn some criticism from residents on the other side of the dealership. They argue that the development is ugly and disrupts their view across the valley. It has been debated in various local authorities and councils with the verdict deciding that the hardstanding deemed appropriate given the nature of land use on the site.

It was an eye opening experience into how people felt about maintaining the state on the countryside and I was pleased to see debates voicing opinions. It was proof that the majority of people felt respectful of their surroundings and most wanted to retain the originality of the environment but would accept built change if they could see a need for it. Understandably, people don’t want visible ugliness from their kitchen window.

The most radical and currently ongoing change I can see whilst looking out now is the introduction of 3 small lakes built by the cattle farmer who owns most of the surrounding land. Once part of the bottom of the valley running behind two roads, the level of a 9 acre field has been raised by almost 50ft in some places to form the banks of the lakes. Countless loads of material has been dumped to raise levels across other areas of the site since 2017. It mostly consists of Gypsum, a kind of chalk like material commonly used by farmers for the constructions of tracks and roads, but the import of Gypsum on this scale has caused a big white marks in the landscape inconsistent with the original clay soil of the local area.

These lakes are part of an application for a dairy parlour, which required the construction of lakes to utilize reed bed purification systems to process excess dairy waste before entering the local ecological system. The entire 101 acre farm falls within the Mannings Heath Open Ridge and Valley Farmlands Landscape Character Area and forms part of this undulating landscape with a watercourse at the valley bottom in the middle of the site. The dairy processing unit was to be built adjacent to a public footpath and a new dairy shed to be constructed alongside. Throughout the last 4 years countless HGV’s have dumped industrial hardcore waste and landscaping material throughout the site to build the terrain levels to accommodate the massive structures. The public highway has been affected by HGV and tractor traffic as material is dumped and shifted around the site and the increase in heavy vehicle traffic has disrupted the running of a local riding school, where horses and owners mucking out have been spooked by heavy vehicles travelling along the farm track.

Various objections from the parish councils and comments from the public over the last 3 years have failed to halt the build, which is now used a bio-waste treatment facility processing animal waste into electricity. The lakes are now not used for dairy processing but have been leased to a local angling society. In summer there are issues with dust caused by HGV movement, as well as constant waste smells of the processing plant and spread manure across the fields. I accept and acknowledge that this is part of living in the countryside, however I see no consideration to any of these impacts in any of the publicly available planning application and this, among other things, has me concerned.

My main worries stem from the simple fact that I can see the impact this one project has caused on the environment in a bid to do something commendable. The current business aim of producing electricity through the recycling of animal waste is fantastic and a hugely important step towards a greener planet.

Source: Open Access Government: CREDIT: ID 56749731 © Kiosea39 | Dreamstime.com

However, what has occurred to get to this stage in the process has damaged what was once a prime collection of green space. Mature treelines and watercourses have been damaged, drainage pipes have been installed that drop foul smelling waste into the valley stream and the drainage process of the valley has been vastly altered. The material dumped contains bricks, concrete, plastic, wiring, glass, metal cans, pipes, wood, rubber, steel bars, insulation, tools, pottery, metal sheeting, all mixed in with vast quantities of stone, mud and gypsum that were not there before. The scale and speed of the operation has introduced so much imported material that will alter the ecology of the site for hundreds if not thousands of years. The associated rubbish from the build has also left many piles of discarded scrap behind and there all large piles of waste left to rust at the sides of the fields. The visual impact is alarming and I can see all of this from my bedroom window.

I am fortunate however that I am unable to see the main processing plant. It is a hulking collection of pipes and twisted metal contraptions linking together to form something more comparable to a modern drilling rig than a factory. Partially concealed as you approach along the public footpath behind an enormous wall of stored waste ready to be processed, it’s lack or architectural quality is revealed as you walk alongside. A collection of electrical machinery runs parallel to the footpath, with even more ramshackle steel constructions hidden behind the main processing building. It is a green steel clad structure, which is supposed to be concealed from view from a newly planted tree line. At the moment however it stands loud and proud in full view and doesn’t seem able to contain the overflow of pipes and machinery surrounding its perimeter. Inside, huge drums contain vast quantities of waste that are slowly being fermented and the smell seems to linger throughout the valley. It dominates the landscape and doesn’t care what it looks like or what people think of it’s appearance.

In contrast, the cow shed erected alongside seems to ground itself into its context. Though vast in size and still unfinished, it seems almost apologetic, acknowledging its unnecessary contribution to the valley and embarrassed to be seen next to its unsightly neighbour. Traditional in design and clad in vertical wooden slats, it has still involved massive concrete elements to be installed upon a truly monumental foundation system. When you walk around the building, it is impossible to not be slightly astounded by the size of the space you are in, especially when it seems almost deserted.

It could easily house the processing plant and its attached machinery. A twin building could envelop the plant within a soft wooden shell, letting light and air filter into a sheltered space of designated function instead of it spilling out across the landscape. Twin warehouses, one for livestock and one for machinery. It would be a simple, even possibly an elegant solution to the visuality of a building of undeniable ugliness.

The application policies indicate the build should utilize a high standard of design and layout throughout and where relevant relates sympathetically with the built surroundings, is locally distinctive in character, respects the character of the surrounding area, and uses high standards of building materials, and finishes.

(Photos of the site are being taken and will be published in an upcoming blog entry)

The issue with this build then, is that on top of the environmental damage it has caused, it architecturally does not respect all of the above, especially the character of the surrounding area, which has been rendered unrecognizable from a decade ago.

Another warehouse constructed close to the farmhouse also impacts visually on the view from our property and has received complaints from other residents. It houses a tile cutting company and has its entire 40m roof covered in solar panels. The building is a simple framed warehouse, approximately 12-16 metres in height and clad in green steel. Whilst I do not have a problem with both the function and objective of the building, I question the scale of the height, and seeing as it is not 300m from a road or other residential dwelling normally enforced on an agricultural building of this scale, under what planning restrictions were the construction of this building passed?

The local council are extremely disappointed in the development of the farm and have objected nearly every application or approved with lengthy conditions. When these conditions have not been met, I am curious as to what that says about the way people treat the land they rely on for a living. It has left many people scratching their heads and wondering who has the power to stop further damage to the local environment. We are fortunate to live in a lush and green part of the world and it is upsetting if it didn’t remain that way.

I believe what I have seen has had a massively negative effect on the environment and I do not think it is right. Overall, the development I have seen from one window over a decade has been alarming. I am an advocate of development and progression and the transformation of outdated agricultural land is of course beneficial for most. I strongly believe that what gets built is not always appropriate, necessary or environmentally sustainable and this project will be a documentation of my research going forwards, hopefully to understand what is going on and what can be done to prevent things like this happening in the future.

I plan to draft some ideas about both micro and macro management of the ecology and what could be implemented into the maintenance of Britain’s green spaces.

Until next time,

RK