Planning Approval in Rural Berkshire for Mr & Mrs Howard

Mr and Mrs Howard had very much liked the design of the Oakwrights Show House and decided to they would like this design for their new home. The idea was to use the full Oakwrights pack including oak frame and the highly insulated encapsulation system “Light Wall”. Using plans and elevations taken directly from the Show House, they had approached their local council to discuss the possibility of replacing their existing bungalow. Unfortunately the Planning Department were not happy to support this approach using a pre designed house, wanting them to consider their design in relation to site issues specific to their location.

At this point it was clear that in order to have a chance of a successful planning application, they needed to use the Show House style as a starting point for a completely bespoke design, and at this point they called Tim Crump to discuss finding a designer who could help them through this process. Tim introduced Mr & Mrs Howard to John Williams one of Oakwrights partner architectural designers.

Following a site visit and meeting to discuss the brief and to hear Mr and Mrs Howard’s aims and wishes for their new house, John put forward a written proposal and fee quote for carrying out the design and planning application. Oakwrights received a formal instruction shortly afterwards.

After revisions to an initial design produced a layout and look that Mr and Mrs Howard were happy with, John made contact with the planning officer who had given the original response, to get feedback to assess the likely chance of success with this new approach. We were pleased to receive a lengthy response, which was broadly supportive, with most emphasis on what extra information would be needed to support our application. This included a ‘Visual Impact Appraisal’ as well as a survey of existing vegetation in and surrounding the site, and a ‘Landscaping Plan’.

This ‘extra’ information is not always required, but where it is, can often add considerable weight to an application, and aid a positive outcome. It was clear from the information that we provided in the ‘Visual Impact Appraisal’ how secluded the site was, and therefore how little the proposed changes could be seen from near or far.

Alongside this requested information, a standard requirement is for a written ‘Design and Access Statement’ to be included with an application. We were able to make references to the local village design statement, which strongly supported new buildings of the type and style that we were proposing – buildings ‘incorporating interesting and sympathetic architectural details and features, using materials appropriate for the locality’.

Having carried out the ‘pre-application’ discussion with the planning department prior to our formal submission, and taken account of the points raised by this, no other issues arose during the application itself, and the approval was granted at the end of the usual eight week determination period. This has been another successful planning application for John Williams and Oakwrights. We will bring you more story’s regarding this project as the build progresses.

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