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Located in an Area of Outstanding Beauty near Helston, the family owners of Trelowarren have harnessed the latest energy-efficiency technologies for the redevelopment of their former caravan park and orchard to build blocks of two-storey timeshare houses and a swimming pool.

The swimming pool at Trelowarren

The resulting project has been singled out as joint-winner of the RICS South West Award for sustainability – shared with an eco-friendly school building in Somerset.

David Marsh, chairman of the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) South West awards judging panel says:Ìý "This development has been sensitively designed with the dominant objective of minimising energy consumption. A substantial investment in a bio-mass boiler supplies the whole estate with space heating and hot water, including the swimming pool.

"Wood chip fuel for the boiler is taken from woodland on the estate, with 1,000 sycamore trees having been planted to ensure a continuous supply.

"The family's aim to make the Trelowarren estate carbon-neutral within two years rests on the superb efficiency of this boiler, and they are working with the Carbon Trust Biomass Heat Acceleration Plant Project to monitor the economic and environmental performance of their system". said Mr Marsh.

"The owners and their team of designers and builders have combined to produce what they hope will be recognised as an example of environmental tourism", he added.

The Trelowarren project team will receive their regional award from the President of the RICS at the South West’s regional awards ceremony, at the Bishop’s Palace in Wells on Tuesday 10 July.