The development was submitted for planning in accordance with the special circumstances identified within Paragraph 55 (bullet point 4) of National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The policy is permissive of new dwellings within the countryside where they are of ‘exceptional quality or innovative their nature of design and have the following attributes”:
- Be truly outstanding or innovative, helping to raise the standards of design more generally in rural areas;
- Reflect the highest standards in architecture;
- Significantly enhance its immediate setting;
- Be sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area.
The development is considered to be exceptional on the basis that it is designed comprehensively to reflect the local vernacular in terms of style, massing and form and to unite a rather forlorn collection of disparate and poorly maintained buildings.
The aesthetic discipline has resulted in a proposal that is reminiscent of the existing structures such that collectively they are difficult to distinguish from the existing barns when observed from the Cox Green Road – the nearest public highway.
Location: Bolton, Lancashire
Keys Aspects: Architecture, Greenbelt, Responsive Design
Update: Awarded Planning Permission in 2018
