The South Downs project aims to develop the Chalk Pits in a completely sustainable manner, taking into account every aspect of the process, from the clearing of the existing site, to the materials and methods used in the construction phases.

Ultimately, the site aims to operate completely off the grid in all aspects – with innovative technologies providing the generation of electricity through a number of channels, including human waste and product waste, solar and wind turbines (eventually being able to sell excess back to create further incentives for those living within the community).

The South Down Project are also in early negotiations with a Fuel Cell supplier that could deliver energy to the inhabitants and businesses in the site for a period of five years free of charge.

New desalination technologies will also be implemented to provide clean drinking water for the residential and commercial needs within the site, taking advantage of an unlimited supply of salt water running within easy reach of the facilities proposed location.

The cultivation and refinement of biomass as an additional source of fuel has also been suggested as another possible route to be explored by the various generating facilities within the South Downs Project.

Clearing the existing structure will require a serious input of both heavy machinery and waste extraction due to the nature of the localised contamination, partnered with the scale of the demolition work necessary prior to the construction phase. Tackling this in a completely green manner is impossible, however certain steps can be taken to balance the estimated carbon emissions that will be produced at this time. Services and companies currently exist that will balance and negate carbon quotas with planted trees in specific locations, possibly within the directly adjacent locality, or as part of an integrated, strategic, approach across the South Downs National Park.

Any contaminated land or building will have to be removed from the site, the disposal of which will be handled by the specialists employed to deal with the (relatively) small degree of asbestos present.

In terms of the existing structure, every effort will be employed to reuse and recycle as many materials as possible to minimise potential waste created in the operation. One of the potential technologies to be implemented in the later construction phase involves the ‘gritting’ of old building materials and glass to form the interior of a building façade, thereby ensuring as much of the existing structure is reused in the new buildings and keeping sustainability paramount.

The objective of the “SEA Directive” is:

“To provide for a high level of protection to the environment and to contribute to the integration of environmental considerations into the preparation and adoption of the plans…with a view to promoting sustainable development”

All of the SDNPA’s plans and policies are developed within the context of the organisation’s statutory purposes which are:

“To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area;

And to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of National Parks by the public.”

Other groups have taken the lead shown by SDNPA and have established a variety of sustainable options. The Sustainability Centre (www.sustainability-centre.org) emphasise three main objectives:

1 Social mix ensuring a strong, healthy and just society for existing and future communities.

2 Economic compliance where environmental and social costs fall on those who cause them, where resources are distributed fairly and efficiently.

3 Environmental adherence, respecting and protecting the limits of the planet’s environmental resources and biodiversity.

Sustainability is absolutely essential to protect the Down Land, but
an equally important ecological ingredient when developing a Down Land community, is a zero carbon self sustaining environment.
To this end, the natural elements can be harnessed, waste products can be transformed into bio-fuel, geothermal/heat sinks, heat pumps, bio-thermal insulation and heat exchanging processes to exhaust the energy before it becomes inert.

All the above objectives can be delivered by the South Down Project in the context of the Chalk Pit, but only with the aid and cooperation of all the key stakeholders as they work alongside us to develop an innovative and ambitious development.

We have already started detailed discussions with the Land Trust to enable the ongoing maintenance and sustainability of the site.