Artist Damien Hirst has surprised his fans by announcing that his next project will be in property development – with 500 eco homes planned for the north coast of Devon. The new houses in Ilfracombe, where Hirst already owns a restaurant and an art studio, will be targeted at eco-conscious property buyers and will feature hidden wind turbines in the roofs, solar panels and high-quality insulation.
According to his architect, the flamboyant artist has a “horror of building anonymous, lifeless buildings” and aims to create “the kind of home he would want to live in”. A planning application will be submitted this summer and construction on the homes could begin as early as 2013.
Recently, Property Wire reported that research by Smart New Homes suggests that four in five property buyers now seek out energy efficient features in a new home, with three-quarters of these saying they want to reduce the cost of their energy bills. This trend is likely to continue as government legislation will force all housebuilders to construct zero carbon homes after 2016.
