(3) Our Meeting with the Council

Even the thought or the dream of a family domain, where everything is in harmony with you, embodies much more closeness to God than a whole lot of convoluted rituals.

All the mysteries of the universe will be unfolded to Man. All at once, Man will discover within himself capabilites that he cannot even imagine today. Man will become truly Godlike, Man that begins to create the divine world around him. 

 - The Book of Kin (book 6)

OUR MEETING WITH THE COUNCIL

One of the most common questions we get asked about Santosha is ''what does the council think about your plans?''.

For those of you who have already looked into securing your own family domain or starting a domain community, you know as well as we do that one of the biggest obstacles to overcome are local council regulations. Our previous note 'The Process' details the many difficulties we have encountered with these laws. 

Some people who are interested in Santosha are understandably nervous about committing themselves to a community if there is any ambiguity about where the local council stands. From our perspective, we do not foresee any problems with the council in the future.  

However, we do not want anyone to sign up to Santosha based on our interpretation. We feel it will be empowering for each person who chooses this future for themselves, to take full responsibility for their decision.

Therefore, we have decided to completely disclose all of the details of our meeting with the council. This will allow each person to make up their own mind. Emily still has the handwritten notes she took from the meeting. If people are interested in looking these over, they will be made available during the dialogue process :) 

Buildings

The very first thing we discussed was the issue of housing. We asked how many houses were allowed on a rural property. The council said that we could have 1 'dwelling' and 1 'workers dwelling'. When asked what the difference was, the council explained that in a 'dwelling', there was a maximum occupancy of 6 people. In a 'workers dwelling', there was no limit to the number of people who could be living there.

We then asked if it was possible to forego having a 'dwelling' and instead have 2 'workers dwellings'. The council said that this was ok, though the total number of dwellings on the lot could not exceed 2. 

We then asked about Class 1B dwellings. The council said that having Class 1B buildings is fine, so long as it is classed as a 'residential building' under the scheme. This means that it is not going to be used for revenue raising activities, ie: No one can charge board or rent the rooms out for profit.

(Note: At the time of the meeting, we thought the housing for Santosha would be Class 1B. This is the classification used for some boarding houses, motels etc. However, upon further research, our buildings will actually be Class 2 - Multiple sole occupancy units)

The council stated that evidence would need to be given to show that all the people living in the workers accomodation were in fact working on the land. Their suggestion was that we start off by building one structure, show the council that it works, and then build the next. They mentioned 5 years as a rough guide, enough time for growing fruit trees etc. 

Dams

We asked the council about dams. They advised us that to apply for planning approval for dams, we would need to contact the department of water. They said that this can be done before we purchase the land. 

The council said that the department doesn't have an issue about the number of dams we can have, but there is a maximum capacity of water that every block of land is allowed to dam. The department of water will also need to ensure that the location of any dams won't affect the waterways in the area. 

Water tanks and catchment systems

We asked the council about water tanks. They said that there was no limit to the amount of water tanks we can have.

We asked about water catchment systems, where a simple structure is erected to catch water in the tanks. The council stated that there is no policy against water catchment structures, as long as these structures are approved prior to building. 

Ponds

We asked the council about ponds (essential to every permaculture garden). The council said that ponds wouldn't be a problem so long as basic safety precautions were met (not too close to the house etc). The council stated that on a rural property, a pond shouldn't need a fence around it.

Solar Panels

We asked the council about their policy on solar panels. If we choose to do so, can we power our houses entirely on solar energy? The council said this would be fine. 

Grey Water Systems

We asked the council if we could have grey water systems for our houses. The council said that this would be fine, but that we would need approval from the department of health. The council stated that because our method of farming would be intensive agriculture, there would be strict guidelines for where the grey water and black water could be used (eg: not on any edible crops). 

Caravans and Tents

We asked the council if they have any policy about people living on their land in either caravans or tents. The council stated that they are currently seeking approval for a new policy, not in place yet, that will allow people to live in a caravan, shed or tent for 1 or 2 years while a house is being built. The individuals we spoke to could not recall whether the policy being proposed was for 1 or 2 years. 

Intensive Agriculture

The council informed us that our intended style of agriculture is classified as intensive agriculture. They said that if we buy a dairy farm, we would need to get the property re classified, though this should not be a problem. To have a property re classified, the council requires a comprehensive plan and layout of where everything will be. 

The council suggested that when we put our plans in for approval, we sketch up the areas of land that will be used for specific cultivation (eg. vegetables, fruit orchards, chickens, grazing land, as well as rain water tanks and catchment structures) so that it can all be approved at once. The council said that is should take 60-90 days to get approval, so long as the house was of acceptable standards and there was no need to notify the neighbours. 

At this point, we concluded the meeting. The individuals we spoke to gave us their contact details, should we require any further information.

WE ARE FARMERS

In the process of our meeting, we did not mention to the council anything about Anastasia or eco communities. We stripped our plans down to the absolute basics, and decided what exactly we needed to know from the council. We decided that it wasn't important for the council to know our spiritual intentions, just what we planned to do on the land physically. Talking about an eco community could unneccesarily raise eyebrows and attract a larger level of scrutiny than we want. 

In all of our dealings with the council, we have presented ourselves like this: We represent a group of people who are interested in sustainable agriculture and growing the highest quality produce possible. We intend to plan fruit orchards and vegetable plots using permaculture design principles. Our aim is to be an example for others who are interested in sustainable agriculture.

In short, as far as the council is concerned, we are farmers.

DEALINGS WITH THE COUNCIL

In our efforts to avoid unneccesary scrutiny, we are asking everyone who is interested in Santosha, please do not contact the council directly. If the council is inundated with the same questions from lots of people, they may start to wonder who these people are and what are their intentions. Our strategy is to set up Santosha quickly and quietly.

That said, we understand that people may have questions that they would like to ask the council. However, I guarantee that any question you have will definitely be a question that we would also want answered. So, if you have any questions for the council, we ask that you send them to us. We have already established contacts within the council whom we can ask. This ensures that there is a single line of communication through an already existing relationship. We will then share their response with everybody. 

Keep in mind, the information in this note regarding our meeting with the council is simply a description of what we asked, and what the response was. The meeting took place before we had formulated any specific plans. Since then, Santosha has undergone a rapid evolution! We are very excited to share with you all the finer details and happenings in our upcoming notes. Stay tuned and stay beautiful :)

I want to animate, bring alive, the image of God to people. I want to make his grand dream clear to everyone, so that every living person may feel His aspiration of love. Man can become happy here and now, in this life. The children of people on the Earth today will live in His Paradise. 

 - Co Creation (book 4)