A SWANSEA-BASED businessman is hoping to build thousands of eco-friendly 'self-build' homes after teaming up with designer and TV presenter Kevin McCloud.
The Grand Designs presenter's company Happiness Architecture Beauty (HAB) is looking to build green, affordable housing with social values across the country, which involves including facilities such as vegetable gardens, shared social spaces, sustainable drainage and edible hedgerows and orchards.
The company is now poised to expand into Wales, and is being supported by co-director, Bishopston-based Simon McWhirter.
Dad-of-two Simon said: "Having built our own family house in Bishopston on Gower, I know only too well how time-consuming, fractious, frustrating and expensive but also how immensely satisfying — it can be. For me personally, it's brilliant to find an opportunity which draws on my professional experience in sustainability and development and my personal experience of building a bespoke personal home."
The company has already raised around £450,000 to back their project through crowd funding — contributions from individuals and organisations in return for shares — and is looking to raise even more.
Kevin McCloud said: "We're incredibly excited about our attempts to get the wider public involved in our aspirations to fund the expansion of HAB as a business. Progress to date has been excellent, with close on half a million pounds committed already in just two weeks.
"This will let us grow and deliver our brand of beautiful, sustainable homes to an ever widening locale and I'm delighted that this means we'll now have the ability to put some HAB roots down in Wales. Having been involved in various projects in the country before, and having just been honoured by Cardiff University this week, for which I'm incredibly grateful, it'll be great to strengthen those ties.
"I've said this before, but Simon has nous, political acumen and dedication in abundance, and if you want a difficult job done he is just the man to give a call. So having him join, and lead elements of, the team has been an incredible boon to HAB.
"And as a now Gower boy, we have a man on the ground here to seek out Welsh opportunities".
www.habhousing.co.uk
