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August 05: Eco-offices hoping to pluck a green apple

The Grange Office Park, developed by farming brothers Chris and Simon Redding, has progressed through the early rounds of the Green Apple Environment Awards to win a place on the short list for Final Judging that will be held in August.

If it is among the top winners, the brothers will be invited to the House of Commons to be presented with their trophy at a special presentation ceremony in early November. This is always a prestigious occasion, with winners flying in from all over the world.

The Green Apple Awards are in their eleventh successful year, well established as the biggest and most extensive scheme of its kind in the country - and probably in the world.

The campaign is run by The Green Organisation; an independent, non-political, non-activist, non-profit environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.

The awards are supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Municipal Journal and various other professional bodies and organisations.

National Organiser Roger Wolens commented: "It is a tremendous achievement to get on the short list, because the competition gets tougher and more fierce every year.

"Contenders are continually reaching new levels of environmental success and this campaign helps and encourages others to follow their good example; with the aim of improving our environment for generations to come."

Chris and Simon Redding have invested £900,000 to develop the Grange Office Park by converting disused cowsheds and barns.

The cowsheds are believed to be the first offices in the country constructed with large (1m x 1m x 3m) straw bales. The super-insulation provided by the bales is teamed with environmentally-friendly computer-controlled windows and a geothermal heating and cooling system which draws heat from the surrounding fields during the winter and puts it back in the summer.

The office park comprises six sustainable office units in four buildings, ranging from 675 sq ft to 3,320 sq ft in size, and is designed to be carbon neutral in operation and with fuel bills a fraction of traditional offices of similar size.

July 05: Photograph's of the site taken earlier this month.