SelfBuildSpeakers

Charlie Luxton is passionate about sustainability and architecture. He has spent the last 20 years designing sustainable buildings and making television programmes about architecture and design.

This combination of doing and talking is what Charlie is all about.

Charlie is interested in creating architecture fit for the 21st century; designs that respond to local materials, traditions and climate.

He is the principle of Charlie Luxton Design (CLD), an architecture firm of eight that specialises in sustainable buildings. Working on projects that range from Community led housing, through to recording studios and one off homes CLD always seek to deliver sustainable architecture to the highest standard. They begin the design process from people and place; the client and the site, it’s from here that their architecture grows.

Richard Bacon is the MP for South Norfolk. Before his election to Parliament in 2001, he worked in investment banking, journalism and consultancy. He served on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for sixteen years and was the PAC’s deputy chairman from 2010 to 2017. Based on his PAC experiences, Richard wrote the book ‘Conundrum: Why Every Government Gets Things Wrong - and What We Can Do About It’ (published by Biteback Publishing) and also contributed to the book ‘How to Run a Country’ (published by the Reform think tank). He has lectured widely, including at the London School of Economics and at Saїd Business School, University of Oxford,

Parliamentary colleagues have voted him the House Magazine's ‘Backbencher of the Year’ and also ‘Commons Select Committee Member of the Year’ and he has twice been named The Spectator magazine’s Parliamentarian of the Year. He founded the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Self-Build, Custom and Community Housebuilding and Place-Making, and steered through Parliament a Private Member's Bill which became the Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015. He is now Ambassador for the Right to Build Task Force, focusing on implementing the Right to Build legislation.

Steffie Broer is an award winning entrepreneur and environmentalist and founder of Bright Green Futures. Bright Green Futures is the UK’s leading provider of eco self-build communities. The company enables its customers to design and build their dream home in the heart of contemporary and thoughtful communities.

Steffie built her first home in an eco self-build community in 2001 with her first baby on her back, whilst also working as a sustainable energy advisor. Keen to explore how house building can be truly sustainable, Steffie completed an engineering doctorate in creating low carbon communities at UCL. She concluded that eco self-build communities have significant potential not only to improve livelihoods but also to develop highly sustainable communities. Inspired by her findings and personal journey, she founded Bright Green Futures, in order to deliver more eco self-build communities.

Mark Pepper is a lifelong resident of an housing estate on the outskirts of North Bristol, called Lawrence Weston. Mark is a father of 4 and grandfather of 5, who’s family all reside in the Lawrence Weston area.

Lawrence Weston is home to 7,000 residents sharing 3,200 units of accommodation in an area suffering from High levels of deprivation, with 3 LSOA’s, and other issues, including historic lack of outside investment and funding.

Mark has over 30 years of working experience based in Lawrence Weston, including, community development, Youth work, and Social Care (family early intervention and prevention), in both, private and public sector organisations. Marks current role is Development Manager for the grassroots charity and company limited by guarantee, Development Trust, that is Ambition Lawrence Weston.

Jessica has worked for Emmaus Bristol since 2016, in that time working with the team to increase the number of formerly homeless people supported, and to increase the range of accommodation provided. She has a background in environmental sustainability having worked for Bioregional Development group and in the sustainability team at Islington Council. Jessica ran a city farm for four years, developing trading activities that helped to secure its future. The Emmaus Bristol community has asked for secure, affordable housing to be provided, with Emmaus as a landlord, so that people can move on from supported housing in a safe way. Jessica is working with the Emmaus Bristol community, White Design and other local partners to make this happen.

Anna has nearly 20 years’ experience in community self-build, having been a founder member of the Ashley Vale self build project in Bristol in 2000. She is a founding director of Ecomotive, a social enterprise supporting and promoting self build and community-led housing, and works with individuals, community groups and professional organisations to help get more innovative housing projects off the ground. In 2018 she was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust fellowship, which supported her to visit Germany, Australia and New Zealand to research alternative models of housing delivery and bring back knowledge to benefit the UK. She has just started a PhD in community-led housing at the University of the West of England.