bility a part of our curriculum, which will be complemented by the fact that many of our students will be living in sustainable accommoda- tion."


CAN I GREEN MY EXTENSION’S ROOF?


Yes, but take a little advice. Think about the extra weight of a 3-4” thick layer of material. Don’t plant grasses and other plants that constantly add to their biomass and check that your felt surface is sound before you add a layer that would take time, energy and money to remove in order to repair its substrate.


D.I.Y. INSTRUCTIONS Have a friendly architect check the load-bearing capacity of your flat roof Check the integrity of the existing felt surface, replacing if necessary Buy some sedum plants and propagate them intensively. Using 4 by 1 inch timber place a retaining structure on your roof leaving about 2” of roof projecting on all sides, drill drainage holes in the lowest edge Fill the void two thirds full with a water-retentive layer of broken clay pots or recycled , crushed brick . Add a sheet of semi-permeable plastic film, such as horticultural fleece Place on a layer of growing medium containing plant nutrients. Plant your sedums, spacing them about 3” apart.


HOW ABOUT A PROFESSIONAL JOB?


There is no British Standard to inform a specification; the most widely accepted standard is the German Forschungsgesellschaft Landschaftsentwicklung Landschafts- bau (FLL) or “The landscaping and landscape Development Research Society”. This charitable foundation has set out guidelines:


· Intensive; Semi Intensive; & Extensive :the determinants to be used in selecting which model: site conditions for the


vegetation; weather; structural considerations and planting.


· Root barriers


· Drainage layers – flow rates, water storage capacity


· Growing Mediums – porosity, weight, structure, permeability, mineral content nutrient capacity & pH.


· Plant and vegetation requirements


· Planting, cultivation & maintenance – dry seeding, wet seeding, hydroponics , sedum mats & turf laying; Readiness for handover, post- installation maintenance


· Wind Loads – preventing wind erosion


· Independent testing of products to ensure standards are maintained


Experience shows that if a green roof is specified, installed and maintained to the FLL guidelines it will succeed. Cutting corners


For more details check out www.livingroofs.org.uk


Village Design Statements


Towards a National Database Quorn, in Leicestershire, is developing a Village Design


Statement. Sensibly, the village’s approach was through researching the many statements available on the Internet, but Quorn was a little frustrated to discover that no central database existed of all design statements across the U.K. Quorn is not a village that rests on its laurels whilst munching “its” vegetarian fare, although the village has much to congratulate itself upon: In 2002, its Parish Council was presented with the award for Council of the Year by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC). This annual award is sponsored by AON Insurance, and


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Quorn was voted the best Parish Council out of over 40 entrants from Councils in England and Wales. This followed the village’s previous successes as Leicestershire’s Best Kept Village two years running and the Daily Telegraph/Calor Gas National Environmental Village of the Year award in 2000. So Quorn has jumped into the vacuum and its intention is to develop a national database and it has contacted ASHTAV for support. The proposed site will be self- funding. When the site has been established it should be a valuable resource allowing people to search for design statements by village name, county, region and population. What do ASHTAV’s members feel? You can get a feel for what Quorn proposes at www.villagedesignstatements.co.uk.


What Makes


Quorn a Winner ? ASHTAV is constantly searching


for ideas of good practice that its members may wish to emulate. Here are a few of the things that Quorn has done that may help your situation: A Millennium Map Not just a public board with a street lay-out but a celebration of Quorn’s history. Volunteers and Council United


Tree, footpath and heritage wardens inform and work with the Council it to protect and improve the village’s assets.


Floodlighting


If you have it, flaunt it. The Parish Council pays to floodlight the village’s heritage buildings.


Harnessing Youthful Expertise


A sculpture park displays work created by students of nearby Loughborough University. The raw stone has been recycled from a local mill chimney. Lively Website &Village Magazine Do look up www.quorndon.com


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