Bell Inn, Great Cheverell
This was an extremely interesting and challenging site where the owner of this village pub wanted to attain planning permission for a single dwelling on garden land to the rear of the pub. The pub was listed, as were many surrounding buildings, and was also in a conservation area. The land sloped was also sloping and was much higher than the adjacent lane (the site can be seen in the attached photos). Unsurprisingly, with these constraints, the council responded negatively to a pre-application enquiry previously submitted by the client.
Photographs of the existing site
RCC was requested to assess the options afresh and considered that the additional dwelling was possible but a bespoke design addressing the specifics of this site was needed. At this stage we brought in PKA Architects and together we worked up a proposal we felt could attain planning permission. The result was a dwelling sunk into the ground with an angled ‘green’ roof/north elevation that formed a continuation of the existing bank. Extracts of drawings and 3D images show the proposal in its context.
There were mixed reactions to the proposal in the village but we received support of both the planning and conservation officers who fully supported the unique and bespoke design proposed. The local councillor however wanted the application to be considered at the planning committee. RCC attended and spoke in promoting the project at the committee and RCC were delighted when the councillors agreed with the recommendation and the application was approved.
