Contemporary farmstead approved in the Cotswold National Landscape

The team have secured planning approval for a replacement dwelling on a hillside site within the Cotswold National Landscape, near Cheltenham.

The existing farmhouse and outbuildings will be removed and replaced with a new home designed around how the clients want to live, while remaining closely tied to its rural setting.

The design takes its cues from a traditional farmstead arrangement. A series of pitched roof elements are set across the site but are linked by lower, flat roof sections, with glazing opening onto countryside views.

The site itself sits on a hillside, so a lot of thought went into how the house would sit in the landscape. The layout follows the topography to help reduce its visual impact and make the most of the views.

External space has been carefully considered as part of the overall scheme, with a covered seating and dining area integrated into the building to provide a usable outdoor space all year.

The house will be powered by PV panels with battery storage, alongside ASHPs and a ducted air system to manage heating and cooling and maintain a consistent internal environment.

It was a straight forward planning process and was approved under delegated powers following a positive pre-application.

We worked with SF Planning and Harman Landscape Architecture.

John Everitt, Director at coombes everitt, said: “Projects in this type of setting always need to be approached with balance: you’re working within a protected landscape, so the design has to sit comfortably and respectfully in its surroundings, but it also needs to reflect how people want to live. In this case, using a farmstead arrangement and following the site’s topography allowed us to shape a scheme that felt appropriate to the landscape and the client’s brief, and gave the design a clear rationale that passed planning.”