Couple have to live green or £150,000 eco house will be torn down

A couple who have built an eco-home in the woods have to prove they are living a green lifestyle or their £150,000 family home will be torn down.

Abigail and Marcus Beck built their home under Wales’ unique One Planet Development (OPD) policy which scrutinises their living from how they get their food and transport miles.

“It scrutinises every part of our living from how we’re going to buy clothes in the future to what food we’re growing, what food we’re eating” said Marcus.

Abigail, a former BBC Wales reporter, said they would be monitored for the first five years in their home, with Marcus adding that, if they do not meet requirements, they will be “chucked out” and the house will be removed.

OPD allows zero-carbon buildings to get planning permission on land that would otherwise not be granted.

Permission is granted if developers can can provide evidence they can make a basic income off the land and provide all their own energy and water with evidence including annual reports and financial accounts.

“You have to be able to live a modern lifestyle, but it doesn’t have to be hugely carbon-hungry,” Abigail said.

Near their home is a communal garden where it will supply 35% of the family’s food.

The couple featured on Channel 4 series Grand Designs which follows the process of self-building projects.

Fully designed by Marcus, who owns a design company, with a budget of £100,000 and no drawn out plan, the couple used trees from the forest at risk of disease or posing imminent threat for the structure of their home.

Starting the build in 2023, the development was built into two moveable structures designed for planning purposes, so can be moved in separate pieces.

It reused second-hand glazing for the windows and rigid wood-fibre board, backed by recycled newspapers for insulation.

The couple were faced with setbacks while building the home with rain water dripping through tarpaulin covering the structure that resulted in warping of the boards.

Their savings for the development also dried up, forcing them to borrow money from family members, with the couple spending £150,000 in total.

Speaking to Radio Wales Drive, Marcus explains how he built a lot of the house himself.

“The big challenge was choosing the right materials which often cost more,” he said.

The couple added that it was a third more expensive under the policy, but at the moment they have “a great solar power system and tonnes and tonnes of power”.

Completing the development in July, the couple said they had no regrets and were determined to challenge the perception of the lifestyle.

“I remember feeling like ‘I am determined to prove you wrong’, I’m determined to say this is something you can be proud of, this is something Pembrokeshire can be proud of to say that they enabled this,” Abigail said.

“Wales can be proud of, they have enabled this kind of creativity to flourish and its in a sustainable way.”

• It allows zero-carbon buildings to get planning permission
• Agricultural land can be developed and inhabited when planning permission would otherwise not be granted, if developers can show they can make a basic income off the land and provide all their own energy and water
• As of January there were 53 approved applications, comprising 56 individual OPDs
• There has been criticism of the policy, with one councillor raising concerns that it would be difficult to monitor
• There were also criticisms around eco-houses were given permission, while farmers were not allowed to build cottages for their children on their land
• The Welsh government said councils should determine applications in a “rational and consistent way”