A Kilkenny village is planning a major eco-tourism project. It will include a swimming pool, tropical garden and plant nursery housed within a one-acre green house.
The heat for the pool and greenhouse in Freshford will be generated from waste. Using slurry and silage effluent from surrounding farms, an anaerobic digestor will produce heat and an odourless digestate which can be used as a fertiliser.
It will also generate gas, which will be turned into electricity and sold on to the ESB.
Freshford 20/20 Ltd, a company set up by locals to improve their village, has produced a blueprint for the project, which will soon become part of the County Council's official Development Plan.
The final feasibility study on the plan is being completed and after that it hopes to source funding from State and EU agencies.
Ms Phyllida Clarke, secretary of Freshford 20/20 Ltd, explained she and the rest of the board wanted to ensure the protection and appropriate development of Freshford in order to preserve and enhance the quality of life there.
A comprehensive house-by-house audit of the local needs was undertaken in April 2000. This was followed by more research and, after a public meeting last year the plan in its present form was written.
The main areas covered in the document are the biodigestor; eco- tourism; road safety; general safety; adult education; library; credit union; housing; industry; child care and welfare and a community resource centre.
As part of the scheme, recycling of all waste will be a priority and a pilot composting scheme is envisaged where individual compost bins will be made available to every household at a minimum cost.