Demolish barn to add extension to main dwelling

[freeze]

Hi,

 

I'm looking to purchase a property that has a 4,500 sq ft house and a 4,000 sq ft barn some 50m away from the house.

 

The barn has stables, various rooms and upstairs several rooms too, the barn was given incidental use to the main dwelling house some 20 years ago and about 8 years ago full planning permission to convert to a separate dwelling, which never went ahead.

 

My question is, given the above, would it be acceptable to planners to demolish the entire 4,000 sq ft barn and add say 3,000 sq ft extension to the main dwelling?

 

The house is in green belt, by demolishing a separate building would help the openness of the countryside too maybe?

 

Thanks!

[markc]

Good morning and welcome to the forum, im going to say you will not get permission to do this, but its always worth a try 

[freeze]

Thanks markc.

 

Even though the barn is huge, the approved conversion to separate dwelling was 3 floors, 9,500 sq ft total, the council potentially would not accept knocking it down and extending would be a lot smaller?

 

Thanks

[freeze]

Oh also, not sure if it's relevant, but the entire property and gardens are completely screen by dense foliage and trees, can't be viewed from the country lane.

[JFDIY]

I'd get some advise from local agents in the agricultural sector, find out what others have got through, there's one agent in our area who seems to know everything, because they do all the farm sales, insurance valuations and so on.

 

Then put in for your big extension on its own, and as a last resort offer to reduce the other building.

 

You may get lucky and get the extension without the forfeit of the other barn, they are so far apart that it probably won't factor as much as you think.

[IanR]

1 hour ago, freeze said:

The house is in green belt, by demolishing a separate building would help the openness of the countryside too maybe?

 

Yes that's a possible argument the LPA would accept.

 

Have you used up all permitted development on the house? Beyond PD you generally have to argue exceptional circumstances to enlarge further within green belt. Trading off other outbuildings is one of those arguments, but it's a case-by-case consideration. If the outbuilding is associated to the (farm???) house, and sets up a typical scene of an agricultural unit, then they may argue that even though you are reducing developed volume your proposed extension has greater visual impact (residential volume in lieu of agricultural).

 

Would be a shame to have to remove a large outbuilding unless it's unacceptably close to the house, but 50m doesn't sound too close. If you have PD available I'd try and extend without offering the removal of the other building, and then see what they are willing to trade.

Edited June 22, 2021 by IanR

[LSB]

It might be worth looking at planning consultants in the area that know the rules rather than 'warn' the LPA in advance.

Do you really want to get rid of the barn or could you get planning permission again to convert and then sell that.

The house already seems quite large, if there is a particular reason for almost doubling the size it's worth discussing that with planning expert as well.

 

[ToughButterCup]

Network locally. With the emphasis on work. That's the first level of attack. Local politicians,  agents, developers, builders, planners. Golf course(?). 

 

Then research the LPAs website for similar applications.  Read them all. Know everything about similar applications: why? You'll be a difficult target for overworked planners.

 

Read through all the similar cases discussed here on BH.

 

Then,  put all that research together,  synthesise your findings, and put them to the  BH Commentariat. 

 

We'll masticate it all for you in short order.

[freeze]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I never considered PD! The house was built about 40 years ago to replace an old farm building, not sure if it would still have PD?

 

LSB - the house sits in 4 acre of gardens surrounded by 16 acre of agricultural land, I'm looking to upsize to a nicer area, so around 8,000 sq ft house required.

 

Thanks!

[IanR]

26 minutes ago, freeze said:

I never considered PD! The house was built about 40 years ago to replace an old farm building, not sure if it would still have PD?

 

If it's not been extended already, since it was first built, doesn't have a condition disallowing PD (unlikely from 40 years a go), and is not listed, then it will have PD. 

Edited June 22, 2021 by IanR

[Temp]

+1 to a planning consultant.

 

Permitted Development might get you either..

 

A single storey rear extension 8m deep. 

A two storey rear extension 3m deep

A single storey side extension up to half the width of the house.

 

I doubt you could add 3000sqf to a 4000sqf house using permitted development rights alone.

 

I wouldn't rush to trade off the barn. That could be very valuable in the future. 

[Tagger]

Hi Freeze

Did you resolve this issue that you posted about here.  I’d be very interested to learn from your experience, as we are looking at a project that might benefit from something similar to what you had originally posted about.

thanks