Our planning team in Tunbridge Wells were approached by a landowner about the potential to achieve permission for a contemporary dwelling on a plot of land on the outskirts of Wadhurst. The land was formerly part of the residential curtilage of an adjacent dwelling. The landowner had sold on the dwelling with some garden land but retained the wider land. This included an expanse of woodland, part of which was ancient woodland. When the client originally approached us about this project we raised concerns about the location of the site and whether the Council would consider it to be the right location for residential development. The client then instructed us to undertake a pre-application exercise with Wealden District Council. A number of concerns were raised including the location of the site in terms of its distance to facilities, poor quality footpath connections and lack of reliable public transport alternatives.
Best Beech Hill, Wadhurst
After 12 months and an extensive re-design of the scheme to address detailed issues such as arboricultural impacts and detailed submissions to demonstrate why the site was the right location for a dwelling, we have a planning permission in place and a very happy client. The permission granted allows for the construction of a subterranean dwelling that utilises the existing topography of the site which together with the use of natural materials will provide a dwelling that will blend in with the wider AONB landscape. The scheme also provides for the removal of invasive plant species in the woodland area and ecological enhancements.
We look forward to seeing the building out of this contemporary dwelling in a unique woodland setting.
To view the application, please click here.
