The new building will provide two-bedroom sleeping accommodation, plus a superb open-plan living space with vaulted ceiling, complete with log burning stove for cosy evenings, opening up year round rental potential – perfect with so many local events in autumn and winter.
Work is rapidly underway to clear the site and form the foundation slab before the weather deteriorates in the run up to Christmas, allowing off-site pre-fabrication of wall and roof panels ready for quick site installation early in the New Year, with the intention of opening for the 2014 season.
The site had a complicated planning history, littered with lapsed consents, refusals and planning appeals. Dwell developed a strategy for reinstating the approvals one-by-one, overcoming changes in planning policy which would have otherwise rendered the proposals unviable.
The first application related to a new house to be built in the garden of a semi-detached house, consent for which had lapsed because pre-development conditions relating to the original approval had not been correctly discharged within the 3 year timetable. Changes in the minimum space standards for a dwelling since the approval meant that the proposal was no longer large enough to be considered acceptable. The site was small (even smaller than shown on the approved drawings, prepared by others!) which made enlarging the building without harming neighbouring amenity tricky. Following close negotiation with the Local Planning Authority, Mid Sussex District Council, consent for the new enlarged house was granted. The design was rationalised to minimise the need for site preparation and groundworks and reduce the cost of the superstructure in order to maximise the financial return for the developer.
Meanwhile, proposals to split the existing house into two flats had also fallen foul of the new space standards directive. This meant reducing one of the two-bed units to a one-bed, with consequential decrease in end-value. However, Dwell leveraged the extant permitted development rights associated with the dwelling house to enlarge the loft storey without the need for planning consent, and by inverting the internal accommodation were able to make up this shortfall in value by improving the second flat with open-plan kitchen living space and more generous bathroom facilities. With construction of the permitted development loft works complete, re-application to split the house into two was made and, in due course, granted.
Fortunately the situation was recovered, but not without delay and the associated expense of re-application. Dwell has forged a strong relationship with this particular client, who most recently described the practice as “…worth your weight in gold…” She now recognises the benefit of seeking good professional advice, and the practice has been appointed to work on other properties in her portfolio, eeking out the hidden value.
The house offers two bedrooms, open plan kitchen/living room, family bathroom and cloakroom and will offer an affordable foothold onto the housing ladder. Off-road parking for two cars plus a small private garden complete the package.
The planning decision is due in early March.
Works included replacing a very dilapidated roof, upgrading the external walls for damp proofing and insulation, whilst removing the first floor to create a central vaulted double-height space. A small wetroom shower room and kitchenette complete the changes.
Keep an eye on our projects page for photos!
Our proposal hinged on replacing an existing conservatory with a side extension to add an additional bedroom and enlarged living space and kitchen to a one bedroom flat. The building cut into the sloping site to maximise available space internally whilst keeping the overall mass down.
Careful consideration was given to potential impact on neighbours early in the design stage, but Mid Sussex District Council ruled that the extension would compromise the outlook from an adjacent flat. The Planning Inspector agreed with our assertion that this was not the case and granted planning approval, much to the delight of our client.
Monitoring our energy use and implementing strategies for reducing consumption has been an important first step in improving efficiency in our energy policy and is a process we highly recommend to our clients, but like all businesses and homes we need electricity to function.
The switch to Ecotricity’s New Energy Plus tariff now confirms that our quota of electricity consumed within our office, shop and studio has been generated from 100% renewable sources. Ecotricity’s policy of continual investment in their own generation infrastructure is an example that many other suppliers could learn much from and will help underpin a sustainable future.
Find out more about Ecotricity at their website, and see if the switch suits you.