Enviromentally and disabled friendly guesthouse
Background
This husband and wife partnership run a 46 Ha suckler and sheep farm in a LFA and ESA area. With the onset of BSE, Foot and Mouth disease and the increasing amount of work and time spent on the farm the partnership were seeking alternative incomes from the farm. As a result of this, and with a deep interest in the area, they decided to investigate the feasibility of establishing an environmental and disabled friendly guesthouse on the farm.
However, the partnership wanted their project to be more than just a guesthouse. They wanted it to be a unique experience by providing farm visitors with "a better understanding of the needs and culture of the local people as well as the needs of the local environment". It was their plan to promote ‘Green Tourism’ to families and groups as well as providing access facilities for the disabled and facilities for the deaf and blind to experience the farm and the local area.
Information required
As the project would be virtually unique in the UK and Ireland the partnership felt that they needed to visit a number of agencies and comparable businesses to assist their project. They began by looking at the different aspects of the project which were:
- Environmentally friendly/Energy efficient accommodation
- Investigating the use of willow as a renewable energy source for the farm
- Opening an environmentally friendly guesthouse
Environmentally friendly/Energy efficient accommodation
For this aspect of the project the promoters visited an environmentally friendly housing development and an environmentally friendly farm in the Netherlands to investigate such aspects as:
What measures could they take to improve the energy efficiency of this type of accommodation?
Some of the options available included:
- Use of recycled materials such as recyclable bricks and slates.
- Use of a wind turbine to covert wind energy to power for the farm and accommodation.
- Harvesting rainwater
- South facing aspect to maximise solar heat and daylight
- Providing wood burning facilities for cooking and heating using "home grown" timber such as willow.
- Recycling waste heat using an air to air heat exchanger.
- Planting trees in the grounds of the house to absorb CO2 and provide shelter.
Would a specialist architect be required for this type of project?
As this would be a virtually unknown field of work it was felt that the services of an experienced architect would be required.
Potential pitfalls of this option
The promoters recognised that the building of an environmentally friendly guesthouse would be a unique project in either the UK or Ireland and as such would be high risk. Therefore the promoters recognised that they needed to seek as much expert help as possible.
Benefits of a wind turbine to service the power needs of the farm and guesthouse
- Totally sustainable
- Clean
- Everlasting supply
Conclusions
The promoters believe that an environmentally friendly guesthouse would be economical in the long term and would like to, as far as possible, to build their house in a totally environmentally friendly way.
They would definitely incorporate a Rainwater Harvesting System and a Woodchip Boiler but the inclusion of a wind turbine will require more investigation.
Willow – a renewable energy crop that will be used for fuel
For this aspect of the project the promoters visited a biomass facility in Co. Tyrone where willow was being used to fuel a local museum and houses. They also visited a farmer in Co. Londonderry who grows willow for conversion to electricity for home use and to supply the National Grid.
From these visits the promoters investigated such aspects as:
Why grow willow?
The most promising energy crop for Northern Ireland is selected varieties of willow on a short rotation (3 years) coppice system. From the environmental aspect, willow is a favourable option, as being a biofuel its combustion does not lead to any net addition of carbon dioxide to the air and the ashes can generally be returned to the plantation. Other key reasons why the promoters want to grow willow include:
- As a tourist attraction where tourists would be able to see how they could potentially grow their own fuel, cost effectively.
- Willow is great for biodiversity.
- Ideal for the environmentally friendly image which the promoters would wish to portray.
Opening an environmentally friendly guesthouse
For this aspect of the project the promoters visited a farm in England where the farmer had converted his house into a B&B and a barn into self-catering accommodation (but not in an environmentally friendly way). They also visited the Irish Renewable Energy Centre in Dublin, which gives advice on energy saving and using local renewable resources as well as visiting a wildlife centre manager who had a wealth of knowledge on environmental issues.
The promoters realised that with so many existing guesthouses in Northern Ireland, any potential guesthouse would have to provide something additional to the accommodation aspect. It was therefore decided to expand the idea to incorporate environmentally and disabled friendly measures into the project.
The promoters decided that in order to realise the potential for their project then a business plan would need to be drawn up. They found great assistance from many organisations including "The European Centre for Eco Agro Tourism" (ECEAT). ECEAT is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation focused on rural development, sustainable land use, and the environment in relation to sustainable tourism.
ECEAT produces, and distributes ‘Green Holiday Guides’ throughout Europe and they also advertise, free of charge, farmers or organisations promoting organic or environmental and sustainable tourist attractions. It was through ECEAT that the promoters realised that there was a lot of interest from "Green Tourists" who wanted to stay in Northern Ireland.
The promoters also felt that advice and help should be sought and any potential diversifier should seek training on such areas as "customer relations" and "Business Start-up". As they would be incorporating disabled friendly facilities the promoters also felt it was vital that advice is sought in this area and would be doing so for this project.
Conclusions
From the information gathered the promoters are/will be undertaking the following projects:
- Growing of willow as a "renewable energy crop" to heat the guesthouse and farm, with the ash being put back onto the land.
- Consideration will be given to the erecting of a wind turbine for the production of electricity.
- Incorporation of as much recyclable material as possible into the building of the house.
- Conversion of the farm to organic status and the incorporation of as many environmental measures as possible on the farm.
Lessons learned from the study
The need for a thorough business plan is vital with special emphasis being placed on thorough market research as this will provide the real evidence of whether the project would be viable or not.
Whilst the promoters discovered a vast amount of information on the general topic, they felt that they still required more comprehensive information on specific measures such as wildlife corridors, biodiversity etc. and would be seeking help in this area.
Important note
The information within these case studies is for general information only. It is not necessarily complete and is not intended to address all issues relating to the proposed diversification ideas. Market and circumstances may change substantially and thus this information should not be used directly within the development of other business cases for diversification without checking its validity at the present time and directly to your particular project and circumstances. Further research is recommended before embarking on any new enterprise.