Hockerton Housing Project celebrates 20 years

The Hockerton Housing Project (HHP) celebrates its 20th anniversary today.

The Chairman of Newark and Sherwood District Council, Mr Keith Walker, unveiled a plaque commemorating the legacy of the three parties behind the housing development.

The three parties behind the housing development are the original landowners, the architects and the council.

The original landowners, Roy and Eileen Martin, found the land too large for their needs and realised it had little environmental benefit.

Their son, Nick, proposed a sustainable development incorporating organic land management alongside eco-housing, which his parents approved.

This turned into a governance framework of a 999-year lease of the site from the Martins.

The architects, Professor Brenda Vale and Dr Robert Vale designed the framework for eco housing.

Newark and Sherwood District Council's then chief architect and energy manager David Pickles OBE worked with the HHP to develop a framework that would benefit the community.

The homes at HHP use 20% of the energy used by a similar-sized house, built at the same time, for the same price.

Around 200 people visit the project each year.