Smart move to help climate by Comrie Croft
Pioneering eco homes project planned
A pioneering project designed to help tackle the rural housing crisis and climate emergency is in the pipeline for the Strath, it has been revealed.
Tomduie Clachan is a proposed zerocarbon community housing project, set to be sited at Comrie Croft if plans are approved by Perth and Kinross Council.
Tomduie Clachan has been designed as the flagship in plans for the eco tourism destination’s continued development as a centre for regenerative land management, sustainable living and learning.
Crucially, it will also allow the Croft to provide affordable housing for staff and those behind various micro-businesses, as well as local people.
The design, by John Gilbert Architects, is inspired by the traditional Scottish clachan and could see nine off- grid affordable eco homes constructed at the Croft along with three ancillary buildings.
Clachans were clusters of cottages focused around the use of common resources such as a well or spring.
Sharing and strong neighbourly relationships were mainstays, which are things those behind the Tomduie project say they want to emulate.
The proposed homes would be closer together than in modern housing developments, to resemble the traditional form and to provide attractive sheltered spaces to facilitate neighbourliness and community as people go about their daily lives.
Features of Tomduie would include modestly-sized insulated homes made from local natural materials, a common house and laundry, shared electric cars and a kaleyard for growing produce.
Shared composting, recycling and freecycling facilities would enable the residents to live as sustainably as possible.
Energy would be provided by smallscale hydro and solar power projects.
A new Community Interest Company, Tomduie Collective Housing CIC, has been established to enable prospective householders to develop the clachan and for joint management of the clachan’s common resources.
The Scottish Government has recognised an opportunity to develop new ways of living and working postCovid- 19, refocusing rural housing policy on community, place, wellbeing, local enterprise and climate-friendly development.
Rural Housing Scotland (RHS), the leading national charity for rural housing, has, with Scottish Government support, recently launched the Smart Clachan initiative and Tomduie Clachan is one of the pilot projects.
Derek Logie, chief executive of RHS, said: “We are delighted to be working with Comrie Croft to launch this Smart Clachan pilot project. Smart Clachans are an exciting new tool for promoting community-led affordable housing in rural Scotland.
“We are especially pleased that through the Tomduie Clachan initiative, Comrie Croft will be increasing public awareness on the need for sustainable living as well as economic and environmental regeneration of our rural places.
Andrew Donaldson, founder of Comrie Croft, added: “The ideas behind Tomduie
Clachan have been forming for more than a decade.
“Progress on the design has gained momentum of late because of the urgent need to respond to the climate emergency, but also because of a growing housing crisis around Comrie and rural Scotland.
“Comrie Croft extends heartfelt thanks for the technical support and encouragement we’ve received from a number of organisations, including Rural Housing Scotland, John Gilbert, Architects, MVGLA Landscape Architects, Joe Fitzpatrick Planning Consultants and the Communities Housing Trust.”
The council is considering the application for Tomduie Clachan and a decision is expected in early December.