Mahogany Hill Affordable Eco-Village latest news!

Craig Hartwell
CEO
**& Project Lead**

**Site videos here**

Merry Christmas one & all!

2022 is fast approaching & I’ve been remiss not sending a Newsletter since September, apologies! Now in the final stages of Mahogany Hill preparations things are accelerating fast & we’re working flat out. With Jamaican incorporation, finance discussions, planning applications & last minute adjustments, there’s never enough time!

Where are we with the project progress?
2021 was a year of headaches & progress, so I think the best way to express where we are is how I feel – positive & happy! We had a long drawn out subdivision process where we split the Mahogany Hill land from the parent title, & in September we submitted the long-awaited final major planning application, the 2nd subdivision including the sewage treatment plant (STP) design, road & drainage layout, lot sizes, parks plan etc. This is the last major hurdle & it’s moving forward. We regularly engage with the many planning authorities. As expected issues crop up which we overcome. We’re currently assessing trees & animals in the area & proposing mitigating solutions to anything which arises. For example we are attempting to keep all mature trees on the site (predominantly mahogany & cedar) & where this is not possible we’ll either move the tree or set aside a regrowth area for new forest, hopefully irrigated by treated water from our natural lake reed bed STP! The phrase of the moment: onwards & upwards!

Chester Community Helpers & School Health Packs
We recently donated books and health packs to the local Chester Primary School. This is part of our long-term commitment to improving the communities & lives of local children, which will eventually culminate in funding a scholarship in Renewable Energy & Sustainable Development at the University of the West Indies (more to follow including photos & video here). It only remains for me to say ‘Happy New Year & roll on 2022!’ CH

A Sad Note: Many of you knew Henrik Tuxen, our first esteemed de-facto CFO; knowledgeable, friendly, bon viveur, raconteur, and other descriptive terms! Henrik passed away tragically and suddenly last year in the middle of Covid lockdowns, and it was a shock to us all. Henrik’s Memorial Bench crowdfunding was a great success and the triple length bench (to host as many friends as possible!) now sits outside the Tabard in Chiswick (stop by and say hello!) and Henrik’s long delayed (Covid restrictions again) Celebration of Life Memorial Service was at last held on 19th November in the St Katharine’s Danish Church in Regent’s Park, London. Barely a dry eye was in the house, amongst much ‘sad’ laughter, and yours truly was no exception with both. Goodbye ol’ buddy. What a mate, what a lost asset to our project. We will complete this for you Henrik, and make you proud, no doubt smiling as always from on high. R.I.P. Henrik, CH