Battle for New Country House Won on Appeal

Robert Adam Architects has won a landmark appeal for a major new country house to be built in the heart of the countryside. This is only the second appeal to be won under PPG7 paragraph 3.21, the government’s controversial policy that permits new country houses only if the architecture and landscape design are "of the highest quality" and "truly exceptional".

Furthermore, the house will be built in virgin countryside and is believed to be one of only a handful of similarly sited properties to have received planning permission since the advent of PPG7, and the only country house in open farmland to have won on appeal.

The new house is in the Hampshire countryside and has been designed for a young couple with young children. The14,000 square ft building will sit in a wholly new landscaped park and is to be built of Bath stone and brick. Work will start immediately on the technical drawings.

The house is designed to Robert Adam’s unique principles where tradition is married with modernity. The design is obviously classical but goes beyond the conventional Georgian to create modern living spaces and large areas of window overlooking a traditional but modern landscape. The building has four main blocks: state rooms, family wing, tower and garage and staff block. The architectural details are similar for each block but varied to reflect their different function.

David Watkin, the architectural historian and author, described the design as "one of the major post-war houses in any style in Britain and the Continent".

The landscape was designed in close co-operation with Barton Wilmore Environmental and has an unusual geometry derived from the existing fields and woodland. The land around the house is divided to create specific views from different parts of the house and to make the house sit well in its wider setting. The formal areas, family areas and entrance are all designed individually to fit the different way they will be used.

The Appeal Decision gives five key reasons for permitting the development, for the first time establishing a clear set of criteria for evaluating the design to be of ‘the highest quality’ and ‘truly exceptional’.

Robert Adam said: "Although it is theoretically possible under government policy to build substantial new houses in rural locations, in practice local planning pressures make it virtually impossible. This is an important precedent which gives real hope that other similar projects might see the light of day. It is also a unique opportunity for a young couple to add to the English country house tradition and a chance to show that you really can be modern and classical at the same time."