Latest figures show an upturn in house sales increasing by nearly a fifth compared with the previous month. Many buyers were tempted back to the market as the traditional summer sales bounce was heightened by signs that house prices may have already hit the bottom.

The HM Revenue and Customs figures reinforce the optimism brought by a Council of Mortgage Lenders report that showed a 26 per cent surge in July mortgage lending.

Residents of Lower Mill Estate in Somerford Keynes, Gloucestershire are in dissagreement with owner Jeremy Paxton who wishes to open up the Spa facility which up to now has been for residents only, to the General Public and increase membership up to 2,000. Residents feel this will spoil the whole concept of the eco-estate and could affect the natural habitats and create a noisy urban area. Roy Hancock,Managing Director of the Cocoon Club is worried that this is a trend that could continue around the country and affect a number of other residential properties who offer similar facilities and whose owners are wishing to raise revenues in these difficult times.

Having visited the Centre of Alternative Technology in Wales I was extremely interested to see how they were using Straw Bale technology to build eco/sustainable affordable houses and having left I was not totally convinced and needed further clarification of this build system. I have today read with interest about the wonderful 70ft replica of Big Ben which has been built in Nantwich with Straw Bales weighing over 20 tons. I am now going to research this mode of building in greater detail as we seem to have a great deal of this material available in the UK.