Our eagle-eyed property experts have recently stumbled across an exciting new homes development which is being built right under our noses. And yet the only evidence of the development appears at first to be plastic wrapped hay bails nestled between the rolling hills west of the A257. Further inspection, including a drone flyover, reveals that they are in fact dark plastic roofs covering the protective structures that are hiding the construction project.

Our investigations reveal that Duben-Blazen, a Czech building company, are behind the project.

Their website states “With two-thirds of the world’s population expected to live in cities by 2050, urban land will become an increasingly limited resource. Many cities and towns – due to space constraints, heritage areas, or other factors – cannot build up, or out. So building down is the only option within urban areas“

Further research has uncovered that the Prague based company specialises in subterranean development throughout Europe and Australia. Their website boasts the attributes of earthbound homes and their aim to minimize disturbance of the landscape through low impact ecological footprint, and it would appear that they have invested heavily in a highly secretive project in our local countryside, designed to counter urban congestion with low impact on the rural scene.

Examples of previous developments on their website show how they have managed to camouflage the homes, reducing the impact of their rural developments on the landscape, and by harvesting the natural insulation of the land around the property, have minimised the need for additional heating, contributing further to reducing the environmental impact of the homes.

Embedding homes within the natural landscape might be the way forward. But what will they look like and what are the pros and cons of subterranean living?