Why plans for ‘tiny eco-houses’ will bring so many benefits to area

Sir, – We are farmers at Reediehill Farm adjoining Pitmedden Forest to the west of Auchtermuchty. We have been farming deer here since 1973.

Recently we were approached by someone called Paula Cowie with a strange request.

She wished to erect four “tiny eco-houses”, off grid, on a piece of our ground. The ground she wishes to use is a steep rocky hillside on which we had planted a belt of native tree species about 40 years ago.

Previously it had carried only whin and although I once grazed pigs there for a few months it has no conventional agricultural value.

At first it seemed to John Fletcher that Paula must be “barking mad” but as the months passed by I began to be gradually more and more impressed by her deep sincerity and enthusiasm.

She has a career educating children outside, whatever the weather, in the ways of the countryside, nature, wildlife and outdoor living – something very close to my heart.

Paula has been doing this within the school system for eight years now having set up a charity, Sustainable Communities Initiative, in 2000.

It was through this that Paula organised the construction of the Fife Earthship beside Kinghorn Loch.

This was the first UK Earthship and, as its listing in 111 Places In Fife That You Shouldn’t Miss (compiled by Gillian Tait in 2020) suggests, is a proud achievement for Fife.

Nichola Fletcher has probably always been the less sceptical but we are in any case both now fully behind this project and in awe of Paula’s enthusiasm and ideas.

The houses will be absolutely off grid and are a sustainable housing option for those who want to live lightly. They are selfcontained using compost toilets and generating their own power. Each is 36sq m – about the size of a double garage? – and it is highly unlikely they would house more than two people.

There is to be a very small adjacent community building to encourage working from home and there is a travel plan which minimises the use of vehicles, placing the emphasis on walking and cycling. Very few trees will be felled and many more will be planted.

If they were to be constructed as “glamping pods” for holiday makers these “tiny houses” would not require planning consent but because the intention is for them to be occupied full-time they fall foul of the full panoply of planning.

It is for this reason we are writing to readers. We feel very strongly this is a truly valuable and worthwhile project but inevitably and understandably it may attract a degree of Nimbyism.

We are eager to do what we can to make clear this is a very small but nevertheless highly environmentally important project deserving of support and one that will bring benefits to Fife and Scotland and one that considers future housing solutions especially for young people.

Incidentally, although we own this small piece of ground we do not stand to benefit financially whether the project proceeds or not.

If readers feel as excited about these plans as we are, we hope they will consider writing to their council representatives as soon as possible or to planning. fife.gov.uk/online/ citing Reediehill Farm.