Thatch may be excellent at insulating, reducing noise, is organic, recycleable and fairly indestructable, but you try getting planning permission to thatch a house that isn't in a conservation area!

The Globe theatre in London is the only thatched building in city - and there had to be some pretty fast talking and convincing demonstrations to get it past the planners, thanks to some laws laid down in the 1660's after London was razed by fire. When properly laid and maintained, thatch may actually act as a fire barrier. The problems in 1666 were poorly maintained thatch, wooden framed houses too close to each other, little or no access to large amounts of water and no trained body of people to deal with blazes.

I've seen a thatched building burn. The roof supports went well before the main body of the roof caught.

Trouble is, planners see 'roof of straw' and they start thinking back to the Three Little Piggies and their house of straw.

LTS