Situated on a substantial site close to Brentwood, Essex, this property was complimented by multiple former agricultural barns that were now being used for residential storage. When the site’s new owner purchased the land, he got in touch to request help with upgrading the outbuildings.
Understanding the client’s brief
The brief was simple; he wanted to upgrade the barns so that they were more in-keeping with the luxurious finish of the main building, but also stressed that they were not to detract from the stature of the house.
We worked closely with a local architect to put together a design that retained heritage features, whilst also maximising the chances of planning being approved.
Overcoming the obstacle of being Grade II Listed
The main issue that we encountered during this project was that all of the outbuildings on the site were Grade II listed. This is often a phrase that causes unease for home and landowners but – contrary to popular belief – achieving planning permission on listed buildings can be straight forward.
Providing that the plans submitted are sympathetic to the listed properties and do not have a negative impact on the character of the existing building, planning permission is achievable. We utilised our expertise in working on listed buildings to work with the architect and produce plans that confirmed to these demands.
The view of The Heritage Department
The heritage department – who make the ultimate decision on applications related to listed buildings – will often encourage plans to be put together for listed properties as they understand that change of use, or similar, is often the best course of action to prevent buildings from falling into disrepair.
A successful outcome
Ultimately, we were able to assemble a plan that met the client’s brief but was also sympathetic to the concerns of the heritage department and the planning decision makers, whilst also exceeding the client’s expectations in terms of design.
Planning was granted for the conversion of the two barns into two new dwellings including a single-storey extension.