Draft proposal for development of Sarn site.
The Sarn Foundation
Date: April 2000
Working title: The Sarn Foundation.
1/ Introduction.
This document outlines a scheme to develop an environmental laboratory at Tony Cuthbert's site at Sarn. The purpose of the site is to develop and evaluate environmentally beneficial technology, both for commercial exploitation and for the benefit of the environment and local and global populations. The site will also have a strong educational function and when complete will offer residential and day courses in environmental technology. The physical site will operate in conjunction with an interactive website and will produce educational videos on a commercial basis.
2/ Areas of interest.
The laboratory will be involved in the development of many "clean" technologies and finding solutions to environmental problems including:
- Clean/low impact energy production
- Clean/low impact energy use
- Low pollution transport strategies
- Low energy/low impact housing
- Recycling and waste reclaiming strategies.
See the above menu for various projects.
3/ The Site
The site for this proposed facility is in three parts.
- Site 1 - The lower part consists of a flat site at the bottom of a secluded valley. A substantial stream runs through this, suitable for water power developments. The site contains Tony Cuthbert's house and a stand of substantial pine trees suitable for wind capture experiments. Other flat land at this site is suitable for the building of a reasonable workshop and machine shop.
- Site 2 - The upper site consists of a flat semicircular quarry ledge 300 feet long by 150 feet at widest, cut back into the hillside. This is 300 feet above the lower site connected by a steep road. The steep hillside between the two sites is heavily wooded with mature pine trees. The main laboratory is to be constructed at this site. This will be in the form of an underground building set back into the cliff face. Part of this construction will be configured as a low energy / low impact house and used for long term testing of the viability of this type of housing, and to house staff or guests / students. The remainder of the underground building will be the main laboratory and will include the main film production facilities. Some of the remaining flat land at this site will be used for experiments including geodesic dome evaluation. The steep 300-ft bank between the two sites is ideal for hydrostatic head experiments.
- Site 3 - The top site is further on from the quarry, 200 ft higher up. Flat land is available here, which will be used for evaluation of other experimental low impact / low energy construction strategies for alternative housing. As before, the experimental housing would be used to make long term evaluation of the techniques involved and also to provide staff/student/guest housing. This top site is also ideal for wind power experiments.
4/ The Project
The objective of this project is to provide a large scale environmental laboratory which can carry out serious research into the alternative, low impact technologies needed to overcome the environmental problems facing the world today. Based in Sarn, the project will take a high profile nationally and worldwide through its interactive website, which keys into activities at Sarn and through the production and sale of scientific videos for mail order. We will be seeking to maximise publicity for the project through all available media including magazines, newspapers and television with Tony as the high profile "front man". The videos will be for sale through the website by online credit card ordering or by post. Preview clips of the videos will be posted on the website. We will also be seeking to sell magazine and TV rights on all stages of the alternative housing projects. In particular, the TV rights to the housing projects would be a major contribution to total project costs.
The project will form links with local businesses and with Universities and other environmental groups. It will have a serious educational aspect and will offer holiday placement work to science students as well as offering science experience courses to paying residential or day visitors including school and college parties. It will also raise awareness of the local area, create employment and increase tourism.
5/ The Action Plan.
Short term, on gaining initial funding:
- Set up limited company to be the vehicle for the project
- Carry out the feasibility study, including the preparation of detailed plans for site and approaching building / planning authorities, registration as a charity etc.
- Secure further funding for the actual site development.
- Submit planning applications for site 2 and also for site 3 if multiple applications would improve chances. Otherwise, apply for site 3 later.
- Research availability of grants for overall project and for specific science projects.
- Appoint architect.
- Update website at every stage
- Take on short term laboratory unit (Vastre) and begin video production and sale.
- Design the scientific courses to be offered, decide on equipment to be purchased and set budget.
Medium term, as funding permits:
- Obtain the required land
- Obtain planning permission
- Appoint builder and begin construction
- Continue website development and video production and sale.
Long term, on completion of building work:
Transfer lab work and video production to Sarn site
Commence projects and courses.
6/ Personnel:
The key person in the Foundation will be Tony Cuthbert, who will be the high profile "front man" in the organisation. Tony will be the face of the foundation, presenting the videos and organising publicity as well as being the ideas man, originating and supervising the projects.
We will be employing two full time technicians, one in electronics, one mechanic.
A substantial part of our work will be carried out by consultants from industry or academia, either at Sarn or at their own facilities. The following consultants have agreed to take part in our Foundation as required.
[List of consultants to be posted here when available]
As well as the permanent staff and consultants, the Foundation will take on temporary help as needed including student placements.
7/ The Funding:
Several layers of funding will be required for this project. These will not necessarily all be from the same source.
- Initial funding for feasibility study and temporary facilities. The initial funding will need to be from a private sponsor or investor. A financial presentation will be prepared showing the money needed and what it is needed for, with cash flow projections etc. We will also investigate the possibility of match funding from the WDA.
- Main development funding for land purchase, permissions and construction. This again will mostly need to be a mixture of investment money and grant aid.
- Funding for operation of the general facility including staff, experiments and video production. It is hoped that the general facility will not only become self funding as soon as possible through sales of courses, videos, rights and through offering commercial consultant. But that this revenue stream will be large enough to pay a substantial regular dividend to investors and to contribute to the funding of individual projects.
- Funding for specific projects to be carried out at the facility. As the project matures it will have funding to carry out its own research projects but an important part of our finance will continue to be sponsorship or joint ventures with parties interested in a specific project as opposed to the Foundation as a whole. Some of these projects may involve the formation of a subsidiary company.
- Specific project funding which we have at present includes funding from British Aerospace, two projects for DERA, and a large private investor. We are also in discussion with Mayor Parry Ltd, Remedy Research, Xendos and two more large private investors. We will be seeking smaller scale funding from private investors
Prospective investors please email stating whether your interest is in a specific project or the foundation as a whole. The actual details of he investment package are still being compiled and are to be posted here as soon as possible.