Key findings
SITE
- little information from site surveying so far possible
- from research: community land projects offer a way of meeting the ethics of permaculture
PEOPLE
- who is currently involved?: Hoathly Hill Trust, several members of Hoathly Hill Community tentatively interested in engaging with the land
- who might be involved?: Plaw Hatch Farm, Hans-Guenther Kern, a biodynamic teacher and facilitator of biodynamic land projects
- who are the designers?: initially myself in collaboration with fellow trustees
- community dynamics: troubled with regard to the field and new initiatives
- who will commit to working on this project?: lots of hesitation
- organisational structure
Application of permaculture ethics & principles
Applying permaculture ethics and principles to the field will form the basis for the main objectives and guiding principles of the design.
Key points of intervention
From the initial survey and analysis, it was evident that there was a process of change in terms of the management of the field and people actively engaging with the field that needed to happen. Several key points of intervention can be identified:
SITE
sustainable land management: introducing holistic land management practice (according to permaculture principles), valuing biodynamic land practice as the accepted land management strategy within the community
PEOPLE
building engagement with the field: getting to know the land through more surveying, inviting initiatives to come forward, building a vision and framework for managing the land sustainably