A new home made entirely out of shipping containers is set to be built in Sutton St James.
The owners of storage business Lift and Shift Limited, Simon and Dee Reed, say the state of the art eco-friendly home to be built next to their business on Broadgate will be the first of its kind in the area.
Despite officers calling the solar powered house “divisive” it was passed by South Holland District Council’s planning committee at a meeting on Wednesday, December 6.
The couple, who have owned their business since 2001, hope their new home will be made to passivhaus standard, which means it is super insulated so there will be zero carbon emissions.
The planning permission includes the change of use of part of the land to business use to allow more storage space for Lift and Shift.
Construction is due to begin in the spring.
Dee said: “The house will be made of old shipping containers. We buy and sell them for a living.
“Creating a house out of them just made sense. We wanted something contemporary and we’re very much into recycling.
“When the containers are finished at sea it costs a lot to get rid of them so we thought about doing this.”
Simon added: “We’re really excited. It’s been a long time in planning and now we just can’t wait to make a start.
“We live further along Broadgate and when we have to get up early we might wake the neighbours. By building this it will be a win/win for everyone.”
The report to the planning committee recommending the plans be passed states: “It is acknowledged that the proposed design is divisive and may to some present a discordant, jarring building at odds with the fenland landscape when compared to vernacular rural dwellings in the vicinity.”
Committee chair Roger Gambba-Jones said he had his “reservations about something stuck out in the open countryside” but others praised the design.
Coun Lawton: “If we never have anything new we will never have any innovative designs at all. I think this is an excellent use of the recycling of something.”
