News and media
Natural way to succeed
MEN - August 21, 2007
Youngsters brave downpoor to get closer to nature
Noth Yorkshire News - August 1, 2007
Natural way to succeed
MEN - August 21, 2007
A new type of luxury 'log cabin' holiday home is being developed in three sites by Manchester company Natural Retreats, with £1.2m funding from Royal Bank of Scotland. The cash to acquire development sites in Scotland and Wales for Natural Retreats' 'green tourism' concept, which provides secluded getaways in rural settings which are environmentally friendly and have a zero carbon footprint.
The company already has a development at Aislabeck, near Richmond in North Yorkshire, of 10 cabins spread over a 55-acre site. Each built using sustainably sourced cedar and features an evergreen roof containing living plants, walls insulated with recycled paper and water from a local spring. There are no on-site restaurants, shops or bars, as guests are encouraged to shop in the area.
Natural Retreats also intend to develop sites in Snowdonia and the Lake District, with up to 30 cabins in the 60-acre Welsh development, and a possible 50 over 200 acres in the Lakes. Operations director Ewan Kearney said: "We see our company as changing the face of luxury soft dwellings in the UK. These are not just wooden huts: they have design features such as solar-glazed frontages, 40-inch flat-screen TVs and granite worktops in the kitchen area.
"Yes, they are a bit like hobbit dwellings, as their plant-based roofs are so green that from a distance you wouldn't know they are there. But they are also residences where people can relax in luxury. Our intention is to raise the bar in this industry. We want to offer holiday makers a rural sanctuary and also ensure sustainability for local businesses by promoting green tourism. Our scheme in Yorkshire has been a great success, with the community benefiting from increased spend and employment opportunities."
He pointed to the insulation provided by the roofs and the fact that there are no on-site facilities as evidence of the scheme's green credentials. There is road access and parking space, and gas and electricity are provided, but the cabin's carbon footprint is offset by planting new indigenous trees on each site. "We are working with a company called Tree Appeal and will be planting probably 200 to 400 more," said Mr Kearney.
Natural Retreats' reservation system is based at its Piccadilly Plaza office in Manchester, where around 10 people work. It has been operating in the city for two years and is a subsidiary of private equity firm K2 Capital, which invests in luxury property developments in Canada and the USA as well as in Britain. Rental income from the Aislabeck site is projected to be around £250,000 to £300,000 this year.
The new funding package was provided by the commercial property finance team at RBS in Manchester. Rob Harris, senior manager, said: "Natural Retreats is a niche concept and one that has proved very popular. We are happy to have helped the company acquire these sites and look forward to seeing them develop more locations around the country."
Youngsters brave downpoor to get closer to nature
Noth Yorkshire News - August 1, 2007
Children have been braving this season's record down pours to get closer to nature as part of a joint art project run by a Richmond gallery and environmentally friendly holiday company, Natural Retreats.
The youngsters are members of a Saturday art class run by the Memento Gallery and were invited to the Natural Retreats' Aislabeck site on the outskirts of Richmond to study and draw the natural environment.
The work produced from the session, which included bark rubbing, collage, still-life and landscape sketches, has now gone on show at the Memento Gallery on Castle Hill, Richmond.
Sylvia Smith, who teaches the classes, said; "Although a lot of the prepatory work for the project took place in the studio, it was great to be able to take the children out into the field and get them observing nature at first-hand. The Aislabeck site has a wonderful combination of woods and meadows as well as fantastic panoramic views across the Swale Valley.
"The children were also inspired by the holiday residences themselves and were intrigued as to how natural materials, particularly the living plant roofs, had been used to blend with the landscape," she added.
As well as the exhibition of children's art that will be held in the gallery this summer, a number of selected pieces from the gallery's collection will go on permanent display in the individual holiday residences. These are mainly works by local artists and depict the natural environment and dales landscapes.
Ewan Kearney of Natural Retreats, said: "We were delighted to have the children at Aislabeck and judging from the work they have produced, the visit was obviously a great success."