TomBee Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 (edited) Hi all, Good to meet you all, I'm currently at the very start of a long journey. My household of my wife, myself, our three young kids and my mother-in-law are currently crammed together in a house in the same village as my proposed building plot and the family farm. What I'd like to build is a 4-bed passive house (I'd really like it to be a certified Passivhaus) with an attached (but not in the same envelope) 1-bed annex for my mother-in-law (that I doubt will be certified). I also plan to take some of the field to create a smallholding (I may have a corporate career but I still love to pretend I'm a farmer in my spare time). The land I want to build a house on is currently part of my dad's wheat field, sits outside the development envelope but we do have on board an incredibly enthusiastic architect which makes up for a lot. The architect has put together a set of sketches that I like (and will look for comments on the design forum here soon); our next milestone is to ask the council (ECDC) for pre-planning advice. Best, Tom Edited July 1, 2020 by TomBee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreadnaught Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 Welcome for BuildHub @TomBee. I am south of you in Cambridge, just at the point of starting my build. Good luck with your planning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Walker Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 Welcome to BH @TomBee Congratulations on considering a design based on Passive House Principles. Before you approach the Council it might be worth looking at the current planning policy, both the Government National Planning Policy Framework and the Councils to see the best route. For example there are Community Policies that involve asking local residents what they would like (Localism) and Para79 (outstanding or innovative design). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 welcome. if you think planning might be a bit dodgy then it might be worth engaging with a planning consultant. even if you have a great architect it doesn't necessarily mean they'll be up on all the planning policies whereas a planning consultant should be. we had a few planning woes which were sorted out by a planning consultant whereas our architect would've suggesting just capitulating to the planning officers whims. all the best and I look forward to reading about your journey. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 Sounds idyllic. I hope that your architect is experienced in designing low energy and passive homes. We're doing something similar (but not pushed on the certification as doesn't add value) , but the "annex" is our basement for my parents (they don't realise this yet, sssshhhh!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSS Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 Welcome @TomBee and all the best with what sounds like an ambitious project. Ref @Conor's comment about not pushing for PH certification "as it doesn't add value", I wonder whether this will change in time? If so, and my guess is it will, if you're self-building now with the intention of living in the property for some years, and building to PH levels, then spending a few £k extra on certification seems like a no brainer. After all, if you decide to sell it in 5 or 10 years time, and PH is still seen as a bit barrier to potential sale, then you just don't market it as such. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kxi Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 (edited) @TomBee Hello, sounds great. I would strongly advise not to speak to the council at all until you are much further forward with the project and you know what to say to them. Much better to engage a local planning consultant, ideally one with experience of your kind of situation. There was a long thread about this issue with Sensus a while back, but in summary, it is likely that your council planners will be totally opposed to any rural development at all, and green field development especially. Anything you tell them will likely be used against you to prevent your development. I also suggest not spending time & money on architect concepts until the planning situation has been clarified by the planning consultant. It may be that green field is ultimately not feasible and you have to consider conversation of an existing farm building under class Q. If you have a family farm this sounds like it might in theory be possible, though for sure it's going to be a different proposition than new build in a field. Something like para 79 is also an option but is likely a long and expensive one. Edited July 2, 2020 by kxi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomBee Posted July 2, 2020 Author Share Posted July 2, 2020 All, many thanks for the kind welcome. @Adrian Walker & @Thorfun & @kxi very interesting regarding the planning consultant. Is there one you'd recommend? Para 79 is an option and not on that I'm discounting either. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Walker Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 41 minutes ago, TomBee said: All, many thanks for the kind welcome. @Adrian Walker & @Thorfun & @kxi very interesting regarding the planning consultant. Is there one you'd recommend? Para 79 is an option and not on that I'm discounting either. Tom I have used Helen Morris Ruffle at Visionary Planning UK/Town Planning Expert (http://www.tpexpert.org). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorfun Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 2 hours ago, TomBee said: All, many thanks for the kind welcome. @Adrian Walker & @Thorfun & @kxi very interesting regarding the planning consultant. Is there one you'd recommend? Para 79 is an option and not on that I'm discounting either. Tom our planning consultant got the job done but would I recommend him? probably not as his communication skills were lacking and updates were few and far between with me having to chase him often. for that reason I couldn't recommend him, but to give him his dues, he got us our planning permission! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ICF Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Do you need a local planning consultant or even one out of the area would be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gc100 Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 100% get a GOOD planning consultant (team). I’m building in open countryside outside the development boundary within the footprint of an old shed. Even going down the class Q route it was not easy at all. In the end I had to get two sets of permissions (1st the class q) and then further full planning to make it bigger- this one we had to present to the planning committee and they passed it (though we have most of our PD rights removed as conditions ). You have to take the emotion and common sense out of the conversation with planning, I know this sounds strange but your case has to be 100% based off current planning law and that only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToughButterCup Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 (edited) On 01/07/2020 at 11:51, TomBee said: [...] The land I want to build a house on is currently part of my dad's wheat field, sits outside the development envelope but we do have on board an incredibly enthusiastic ... [...] Here be dragons. Research every last local (in the same geographic and planning area) build project that started with similar circumstances. Look at what happened. Analyse why it happened. Why do that? It will inform the converstation you have with the planner - your planner not the LPAs - As for an incredibly enthusiastic anybody: it's cold hard analysis you need. Determination, persistence and clear-headedness is whats needed now. Dream details later. Now is fundamentals time. Edited July 3, 2020 by ToughButterCup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell griffiths Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 We used a planning consultant, best money I’ve spent in a long time. I would find one locally that knows the area and then check them out, see what they have achieved lately. As above I wouldn’t waste too much money on drawings for something you won’t get permission for, you may need all the money for the big fight you have in front of you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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