New Forest House site progress

Last week we went to site to see the fantastic progress on our deep retrofit project, reimagining the existing Brockenhurst House dwelling in the heart of the New Forest National Park.

Our work has reimagined the distinctive 1970’s chalet house, adding an extension to reconfiguring the property alongside a full thermal upgrade to the property. The contractor has nearly finished on the main construction to a very high standard, leaving the smaller finishing touches to be completed by the owners. We are really looking forward to seeing this project complete very soon.

Site visits are really important for us in the design journey, they give us an opportunity to check in with the contractor and owner to help with any design issues that may have arisen, to ensure the finished project reflects the original design intention and is finished with the attention to detail our clients expect.

Achieving planning permission within a National Park

Last week we won unanimous approval at planning committee for a replacement dwelling in Burley, right at the heart of the New Forest National Park. This was a brilliant win for our client and for our design, it also got us thinking about the process of achieving permission when your property is located within a UK National Park.

If you are looking to build a new property, make a significant change to a building (like an extension) or make a change of use (for example from agricultural barn to residential house) you will probably need planning permission before you start any construction on site. If you are luck enough to live within a National Park this can sometimes add another layer of complexity to be taken into account.

How to get planning in a National Park

To account for the sensitively of each National Park, they all have their own planning policy document and rather than submitting planning to your local authority (as you would with a standard planning application) you have to submit the planning to the individual National Park Authority.

If your design proposal is relatively straightforward then planning might not be too difficult to achieve, however an experienced architect who understands the local planning policy document can really push your design and maximise the potential of the site.

Successful planning approval

In the instances where the project is slightly more daring, working with an experienced architect can really pay off to help you see your designs come to life. To have the knowledge of articulating design to third parties, can help to enable planners to fully understand the concept behind your project. Often it is a collaborative effort to get tricky planning approvals, a good architect should have a network of specialist and trusted collaborators such as Planning Consultants, Energy Consultants, Landscape Designers and Structural Engineers to name a few. By working together, the expert team can demonstrate how the design preserves the unique, natural beauty of the National Park.

New Forest and South Downs design

The team at Studio BAD have successfully achieved planning permission for schemes within the South Downs National Park and the New Forest National Park, including an extensive extension to a bungalow, a contemporary extension to a Listed building and a new build replacement home.

The concept of National Parks is relatively new, with the government only having established National Parks in 1949 with a purpose to conserve, enhance their natural beauty and provide recreation opportunities for the public. There are now ten National Parks across England, and we are fortunate to be located between the New Forest and the South Downs National Park, both situated on the south coast where our studio is located.

If you have a project you would like to discuss, get in touch with our team today.

 

 

 

 

 

National Park Planning Success

We are thrilled to have achieved planning approval for our contemporary extension of Moorlands, a distinctive 1970’s property in set in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, at the heart of the New Forest National Park.

The planning process within a national park can seem daunting for many homeowners, as there are additional rules and stipulations on what you can and cannot get planning for within the park. We are well versed in these details, having successfully worked on many properties within the New Forest national park, and were delighted to have achieved planning for this home in Brockenhurst on the first application.

The design reconfigures the ground floor, maximising the space available and enhancing the functionality of the house for the growing family. The scheme extends and opens up the kitchen and dining area, increasing connectivity to the rest of the home and the large garden. During the construction work the dwelling will be thermally upgraded to deliver a low energy, comfortably home. Full details of the project can be found here.