August 7
By Judith Mullarkey
SITTING on the edge of the busy A30, on the outskirts of Okehampton town centre, it is hard to believe this “rural” business centre boasts such environmentally-friendly credentials.
But complete with a six kilowatt (kW) wind turbine, a 45 kW wood pellet boiler, solar PV panels and a sustainable means of drainage to name but a few elements, it is certainly leading by example.
The project was developed by West Devon Borough Council, which owns and manages the centre.
The South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) has invested heavily in this project, to the tune of £1.35 million, with an eye on its recent ambitious commitment to make all of its investments net zero-carbon by 2013 and lead on the development of a low-carbon economy in the region.
An additional £1.2 million grant was made by the Objective Two European Regional Development Fund and West Devon Borough Council added a further £450,000.
“We will be assessing the whole life cycle cost impacts of this initiative and using this knowledge to better our future investments in the South West”, says Mark Wray, SWRDA’s sustainable construction manager who’s been overseeing the scheme.
“This project is a flagship and will be one of the most sustainable development projects of its type ever undertaken in the region.”
But Mr Wray admits that they had to be forward thinking during the design and build programme.
He explained: “Because green technology and the design process has moved on over the last two years while construction was on-going, we had to be almost futuristic in our thinking – there was an element of crystal ball gazing.”
The centre was built by Exeter-based developer Rok to offer 16 business units for new and growing small firms and has increased modern work space provision in the West Devon area. The contractor has also built new roads and services, opening up the rest of the 26-acre site for further development.
Mr Wray added: “The focus of our work is all about unlocking the business potential of this area and contributing towards this goal by providing much needed space for local businesses and leading directly to the creation of new jobs in Okehampton.”
This is something Devon and Cornwall Business Council supports as chairman Tim Jones explained: “Okehampton is a fantastic example of how carefully targeted investment in the right type of facilities and support will reap dividends by encouraging enterprise, raising skills levels in the area and creating jobs.
“Access to high quality work space is important to the prosperity of the local economy and this type of environment helps engender pride and productivity among the businesses on-site. I am particularly pleased to see this project setting such a standard within West Devon and further afield.
“This is a great chance and indeed opportunity for Okehampton which is at the heart of a rural community to turn the corner from a period of decline, which started with the devastating impact of foot-and-mouth. This will give it a real chance to recover and it’s taken a long time to get to this stage, it’s very welcome”.
All building materials used in the construction were chosen for their low environmental impact and included recycled timber and eco-paints.
Other green features such as windows designed to increase natural lighting and conserve electricity, solar PV panels on the roof to provide a significant percentage of the buildings’ clean energy needs – just over 8kW – a wind turbine to provide 6KW of power, and a 45kW boiler fuelled by wood pellets, a renewable energy source to provide heating, were used. Ninety per cent of heating needs will be met by use of biomass.
The offices have natural ventilation, rainwater will be collected and reused in toilet facilities, and the buildings will have energy efficient fittings.
Overall carbon emissions from the starter units are expected to be around 80 per cent less than by using conventional energy sources, saving 50 tonnes of carbon emissions every year. During construction of the scheme they managed to divert 84 per cent of waste from landfill through re-use or recycling.
But the scheme has been challenging at times admits Tracy Windemer, civil engineer with West Devon Borough Council.
“It was a very difficult site to develop being on a steep slope. One of the big issues was the protection of an adjacent water course so we created large sustainable drainage ponds to retain surface water and release it slowly,” she said.
“We looked at all forms of renewable energy use for this project and carefully chose the best sources to develop. Using solar PV panels we had to make sure the buildings were south-facing to maximise the use of natural energy sources.
“These are high performing premises with a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating – it falls within the top 10 per cent of projects going through assessment to meet this grade and it will really stand as a good environmental benchmark for at least the next three to five years.”
For SWRDA, this is something of a litmus test of its determination to lead the region towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy. The agency is determined the centre is recognised in aiding this goal and believes climate change offers business opportunities for companies in the South West.
Mark Wray added: “The centre far exceeds current building regulations and mandatory minimum requirements. We’ve used some of the best quality surveyors and designers in the South West and indeed from across the UK, working closely with our delivery partners – this really is the future for commercial buildings in Devon and the region.
“As well as being awarded BREEAM ‘excellent’ and Civil Engineering Environmental Quality Assessment ‘excellent’, the scheme has picked up the Devon Local Authority Building Control sustainability award and has been shortlisted as one of six for the National LABC awards in October.”
The Government recently published its long awaited Strategy for Sustainable Construction setting out its vision for green buildings in the future and SWRDA is now taking the implications of this publication on board.
But sustainable construction is not a new fangled buzz-word for SWRDA according to Mr Wray, who said: “Far from it, for every investment we make across the region we already demand high environmental standards and will continue to do so into the future.”
So what of the small businesses experiencing the new facilities first-hand at Okehampton? IT and telecoms company Future Networks and the West Devon Business Information Point, which provides business advice, support and training to agricultural and rural businesses, are two of the first tenants on-site.
“Location and cost were the main reasons for us wanting to open an office at Okehampton,” said Steve McDonald, managing director of Future Networks.
“We have been in business for around 20 years but wanted to base ourselves in the South West having worked in London previously. We chose this site carefully, after a search of around six months, because we wanted to be central to the region and be able to get to Plymouth and Exeter easily.
“The facilities are second to none and we’ve got open-plan office space with excellent views over Dartmoor – a bit different to the smog over London. Eco-friendly buildings in the commercial property sector, especially in this beautiful part of the world, definitely seem to be the way forward.”
Future Networks is rapidly expanding and employs staff in engineering and telesales roles. Further expansion is expected this year with more skilled jobs. The company is also planning an open day to show customers what services they offer.
“All our team are local to Okehampton and we’re intending to recruit further in the next few months – it’s important for us to be employing locally,” said Mr McDonald.
Cathy Wright is the contracts manager for West Devon Business Information Point. She said: “The centre is a good move for the organisation and we believe others will want to join us due to the excellent location near the A30. The centre has great facilities for small businesses that are setting up and developing”.
West Devon Borough Council believes the development will play a pivotal role in regeneration.
“We are confident the units will be a catalyst for further growth in the area,” said council leader Coun James McInnes.
“With several large food producers in West Devon, we hope to attract more of this kind of industry to the borough, particularly in the areas of food technology and development. The business park will help the town recognise its business potential and meet the needs of the 21st century.
“We are confident that the companies within the project will only grow in success and go from strength to strength. They’re specifically for businesses with good growth prospects and will allow firms to become established before they move onto larger premises.”
The Centre will officially open in September. A number of business units are still available – for more information, contact Michelle Baker at West Devon Borough Council on 01822 813702 or e-mail mbaker@westdevon.gov.uk or Mark Wray at SWRDA on 01392 229334.