Palace Farm Hostel & Campsite, Kent, England

How does Palace Farm minimise its impact on the environment and contribute to a sense of place?

Palace Farm Hostel has been awarded Gold by the GTBS having implemented a number of green initiatives to reduce their consumption of natural resources. The building is well insulated, all radiators have thermostatic valves, and low energy lighting is used throughout the hostel. Solar panels help heat hot water, and meters are read and recorded monthly, along with oil deliveries and water consumption, to evaluate the amount of savings from the solar panels. A clean burn wood burner use wood grown in the small coppice, wind fall timber, fruit tree prunings and old fence posts.

Water savers have been installed in the toilet cisterns, which are also dual flush and showers are regulated at 6L per minute. The onsite sewage treatment plant saves over 60 lorry trips through the country lanes and villages per year. Rainwater is harvested for watering the many planters, which are recycled potato bins. Plastic bottles, food cartons, cans, paper, cardboard and glass are all sorted and recycled.  

The continental-style breakfast includes apple juice from the neighbouring farm, locally sourced meat prepared by the award-winning village butcher, as well as fair trade produce, and local bread and cheeses. To minimise the impacts of traffic congestion on the landscapes and biodoversity of Kent Downs AONB, guests are encouraged to arrived by public transport and explore the area with economical bike hires.