1.0 Heading Lorem Valley View Farm, Batcombe Tempus amet curabitur quisque tempus id, dolor sit est curabitur laoreet nullam, aliqua lacus wisi ultrices nullam, imperdiet curabitur eget, in purus New Country House

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT, 20 JANUARY 20211 CONTENTS

SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION SECTION 4 - DESIGN INFLUENCES AND SECTION 6 - CONCLUSION 1.1 The Applicant and Brief STRATEGIES 1.2 Design Team 4.1 Picturesque Batcombe 1.3 The Location of the Site 4.2 Picturesque Landscape SECTION 7 - ACCESS STATEMENT 1.4 The Existing Buildings 4.3 Building Siting and Orientation 1.5 Planning History and the Design Review Panel 4.4 Massing, Form, Organisation and Layout 4.5 Materials Appendix A SECTION 2 - DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 4.6 Energy Conservation and Generation Ecological Management Plan and Ecological 4.7 Integrated Approach 2.1 1st Response - Classical Design Impact Assessment by Enzygo 4.8 Response to Design Panel Review Comments 2.2 2nd Response - Symmetrical Cottage Orné Appendix B 2.3 Current Scheme - Butterfly Plan Cottage Orné SECTION 5 - DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS Thermal Modelling report by Ridge SECTION 3 - INSPIRATION FOR THE DESIGN 5.1 Landscape Masterplan 5.2 Architecture 3.1 Landscape History 5.3 Reuse of Old Buildings 3.2 Physical and Character Attributes of the Landscape 5.4 Sustainable Design and Construction 3.3 Landscape Setting 5.5 Gardens 3.4 Analysis of the Village and Surrounding Landscape 5.6 Ecology and Habitat Enhancement 3.5 Local Architecture 5.7 Domestic curtilage 3.6 Picturesque Response to the Setting

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 2 Design and Access Statement Introduction

VALLEY VIEW FARM, NEW COUNTRY HOUSE 1.1 The Applicant and Brief

“Valley View Farm has provided me with a dream could not find an architect who I knew could design a house that matched butterfly plan. I was delighted with it when I received the plans, although opportunity; for the first time I have been able the splendour and potential of this location. It was during a visit to it was a very long way from my original pre-conceived ideas and from the Yorkshire that I saw a new house whose exceptional quality provided me first design. In the course of my journey from first design to third design, to design a new house. My former home, Pylle with the breakthrough I needed; that breakthrough is of course architects our thinking has changed very radically from what I thought I wanted at the Manor, 6 miles to the west of Batcombe, has to Francis Johnson and Partners. outset to what I am eager to build now. be one of the West Country’s prettiest houses My brief to the designers has been to create something so special, that I have challenged my team to push their boundaries; for instance the very much in the French style, so the design for this site deserves; a traditional country house created with the finest exceptional spatial qualities and visual interest formed by the butterfly the new country house at Valley View has given craftsmanship and materials. Through the last five years my enthusiasm plan of the house will only be realised and appreciated once built, but this me the chance to surpass that. I think it does.” for this house and landscape remains undiminished, indeed I remain is spectacular and will be recognised as such once seen. The landscaped keener than ever to construct one of the finest properties and landscapes setting will transform plain fields into a rich and varied setting, beautiful to “I have lived and worked in Somerset for almost 30 years, with my southern England has seen in scores of years. look at and walk through and also a haven for wildlife.” office near Frome some 10 miles from Batcombe. Being involved in The design of the house has gone through three main phases; the whole property, albeit in the less aesthetic sphere of industrial and outlet retail process started with a letter to Digby Harris on 8 June 2012 setting out Simon Waterfield construction, I have always had an ingrained sense that if constructing and my brief in very basic terms and what was actually produced then grew designing it has to be to the highest quality. For me, such a new house has out of designs for other houses, indeed the first Batcombe design was a . also to be different, to make anyone, even with a limited knowledge or development of an unexecuted Francis Johnson and Partners design for interest in architecture, landscape and ecology to stop, to look and I hope Parlington Hall. to critically appraise positively even if not to their particular liking. After the disappointment of rejection of the initial proposal at appeal, I When I saw Valley View Farm for the first time it was clear that here was was presented with the second proposal – a symmetrical cottage orné a very rare property. Situated in one of Somerset’s prettiest areas, with - the thought being that we needed a different approach to a different its rolling and steep sided hills, its rich and green pasture land on which location on the site and that approach was to be the Picturesque. The dairy cows have produced milk for local cheese makers for centuries, here precedent of Nash’s Hollycombe Lodge was influential as a compromise was 30 acres of largely level ground on which could be built a spectacular between the classical first design and something more informal like house. With glorious views and land hidden from houses, footpaths and Endsleigh Cottage (now Endsleigh House). However this symmetrical roads, this is a site whose size, unlike any that I have ever come across design was rejected by the Design Review Panel, as it was thought not to in this region of the County, could accommodate the best of design, be sufficiently quirky to qualify as a cottage orné proper. architecture and landscape. The third design, presented here, is a fully-fledged cottage orné on a Having lived at the bungalow for a year my patience was being tested as I

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 4 1.2 Design Team

FRANCIS JOHNSON AND PARTNERS Architects We have a high reputation for the design of new buildings in classical and traditional styles as well as the scholarly repair and restoration of historic buildings. We pride ourselves on the quality and refinement of our designs, coupled with the soundness of our construction. We are best known for our Country Houses but we also design smaller Village Houses and Cottages as well as Garden Buildings, Commercial Buildings and Interiors. Francis Johnson founded his practice in 1937 in Bridlington, East Yorkshire. His work was mainly concerned with the restoration and alteration of historic houses and with the construction of new houses in historic styles and was the subject of a major exhibition at the RIBA and an architectural biography by John Martin Robinson and David Neave in 2001. The practice has worked across the United Kingdom, from Cornwall to Inverness- shire. Although many of the new houses produced by the practice have been in Hilborough House, Norfolk the Georgian or Neo-Classical style, the design of these buildings has always been site specific. Often the materials employed have been local to the site, or as good a match as is currently available when old quarries have been closed. Hilborough House in Norfolk (2000) was faced with flint with brick dressings to reflect the local vernacular architecture. Additionally Francis Johnson and Partners have picked up and developed local architectural themes in their work. The pair of town houses in St Mary’s, York, which won a design award in 2011, combined a number of features from neighbouring nineteenth century buildings. At Home Farm, Hartforth (2009) the Georgian Gothick style adopted reflected the Gothick farm buildings of the estate.

St. Mary’s, York

Home Farm, Hartforth

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 5 1.2 Design Team

IBBOTSON STUDIOS RIDGE Landscape Architects Building Services Engineering Ibbotson Studios is a landscape architecture and garden design Well designed and maintained building services systems are essential practice dedicated to imaginative, intelligent design, where new in supporting people with their busy lives. Helping them to maximise designs for all kinds of spaces – large, small, public, private or the benefits derived directly from their built environment. commercial – are conceived. Our design approach to Building Services Engineering is to understand the clients brief, interrogate the Ibbotson Studios allow Landscape Architect Mike Ibbotson’s creative talents to flourish, bringing needs and operation of the building and utilise innovative methods in the design process. As buildings together his expertise both in making landscape images and in changing landscapes physically. His are responsible for over 40% of all energy consumption throughout the world, the responsibility of the extensive portfolio of developments in sensitive rural locations, covers all scales from industrial Building Services Engineer to minimise carbon emissions and reduce energy consumption, to meet and mineral extraction to individual replacement houses, and includes a number of successful regulatory change and the sustainable agenda, is vitally important. country house applications through PPS7 and NPPF Paragraph 55 and 79 legislation as well as two Our approach to design is to passively drive the building design and fabric to maximise the replacement houses in isolated locations within National Parks. In his 25 year association with Colvin performance of the building before consideration is given to selecting Building Services systems. Once & Moggridge, a highly regarded practice of landscape architects, he was responsible for some of their this is achieved, selection of equipment is made against simplicity in operation, future maintainability most prestigious projects and his work is in London’s Royal Parks, at National Trust properties and and systems to provide first class internal environmental conditions. within the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley. Working as part of an internal Ridge multidiscipline design team, or when we are providing a stand- alone Building Services Engineering commission, we pride ourselves on teamwork and togetherness in the delivery of best-in-class solutions for clients.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 6 1.2 Design Team

ENZYGO RIDGE Ecologists Town and Country Planning Enzygo are an independent, multi-disciplinary environmental Ridge specialist planning team has over 25 years of experience, consultancy with a proven track record of delivering creative, providing a personalised service to a diverse range of clients including integrated and cost-effective solutions that maximise the individuals, companies and public organisations. potential of development sites. The planning team are able to assist clients in achieving their development aspirations by influencing Our growing team use a collaborative approach to devise solutions that are respectful of planning policy, unlocking development potential and securing planning permission. The team has technical and budgetary constraints, comply with industry guidance, whilst also fulfilling planning been involved in a diverse range of planning projects across many sectors of the industry, including and commercial aspirations. residential, retail, strategic and commercial planning. Our approach has evolved through experience in development schemes, providing us with an insight into complex planning situations, understanding We have substantial experience in the delivery of all types of developments, including major our clients’ needs and having effective communication and negotiation skills. infrastructure projects, residential housing schemes and renewable energy programs, across a broad range of environmental disciplines, including Planning, Hydrology and Drainage, Permitting and Regulation, Landscape, Ecology, Transport, Geo-Environmental and Hydrogeology, Noise and Vibration, and Arboriculture. Such is our reputation and knowledge base, we are now often called to give expert witness testimony in more complex planning cases, including many sanctioned by the Secretary of State.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 7 1.3 The Location of the Site

The village of Batcombe, Somerset is located between two designated areas of outstanding natural beauty: the Mendip Hills to the west and Cranborne Chase to the east. Its landscape represents the continuation of the Mendips limestone hills, though with lower relief. The name “Batcombe” means “Bat’s Valley”; “Bat” appears to be a personal name while the valley is that of the River Alham and its tributaries. The fairly flat upland areas are used for grazing and for growing crops, in the valleys there is more grazing and orchards, though these have declined in area during the twentieth century.

The village consists of a straggle of cottages and some larger houses which follow a middle contour on the valley side, avoiding both the exposure of the uplands and the cold damp air of the river banks. The Church of St Mary the Virgin, a fine example of the perpendicular style, is located in the centre. Westcombe and Eastcombe mark the edges of the parish which also includes a number of scattered farmhouses. Field boundaries are marked by both drystone walls and by hedges. Mature trees can be found in the valley bottoms, on the less accessible slopes and at field boundaries. The Valley View Farm site is south and east of the centre of the village; close to it but completely screened by mature trees and a steep slope. Much of the site is gently sloping upland grazing which tilts gently to the north and east. The existing farmhouse and modern barns are located at the northern end of the site on Hincombe Hill. There have been attempts to establish trees on the site including a small orchard by the existing farm.

Aerial photo of the site

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 8 1.4 The Existing Buildings

Valley View Farm is approx. 12.4 hectares of an irregular oval shape approx. 700m southwest to northeast and approx. 200m northwest to southeast. The site is surrounded by agricultural land with belts of woodland and established hedgerows and deep narrow valleys and rolling hillsides and ridges which form the horizon.

Valley View Farm is split into two clusters of buildings. The newer grouping sits in the northeast corner (Photo 3) and the original grouping lies just south of the centre of the site against the east boundary (Photo 4 ). The existing farmhouse bungalow (B) is at in northeast cluster and approached by a steep curving driveway off Hincombe Hill, which leads around the side of the house and across a yard in-between an existing barn (D) and a farm building opposite (C). Passing through a row of poplar trees, the track continues across a field to a second cluster of farm buildings (H).

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 9 1.5 Planning History and the Design Review Panel

Farm buildings have existed on this location Cottage Orné style to the DRP on 22nd March 2018. from before the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey. Responding to the Panel’s recommendations, King Shaw Associates, The current dormer bungalow was built at the Consulting Engineers, were appointed to the team to provide building services and environmental advice to guide the Architects towards north end of the site away from the original farm an exemplary design. An ecologist was also appointed to guide the buildings in 1972 and extended in 2001. Landscape Architect and Architect, so a full team was now in place to develop a fully integrated and coordinated proposal. A revised proposal The site was in agricultural use until 2011 when the agricultural tie was was considered by the Design Review Panel on 20 September 2018 for a removed and has since been used as paddocks with stables. third time. In 2014 a planning application was submitted to replace the current The Panel broadly approved the landscape scheme with some minor bungalow and all but one of its immediate outbuildings with a qualifications, and the ecological measures. They did not however think replacement dwelling in a neo-classical design in a different position that the architectural design had been adjusted in response to their on the site and with conversion of the traditional barn into a cottage. previous comments. They also questioned some of the claims being The planning justifications were that the development plan was silent made for insulation levels and air tightness, the position of insulation, and on replacement dwellings of this nature and issues of curtilage; the site the achievability of the stated aims within the constraints of the adopted was a single planning unit; the design and location of the new home was style. The conclusion was that the proposals still did not meet the exacting beneficial in comparison to the existing; and conversion of the traditional criteria to satisfy paragraph 79 of the NPPF. farm buildings to staff accommodation was policy compliant. The scheme was further developed and re-presented to the Design The application was refused and a subsequent appeal dismissed. The Review Panel on 21 March 2019. This version was met with enthusiasm Planning Inspectorate recognised, however, that the appeal process itself and it was felt that, with some minor reservations, the criteria of paragraph was flawed. Counsel’s advice was sought which concluded that it would 79 had been met. This scheme forms the basis of the current planning not be a sound and sustainable basis for the Council to rely upon the application. Inspector’s reasoning in the consideration and determination of a revised proposal. Comments to the design team from the previous presentations have been carefully reviewed and considered. The project has evolved and has been A pre-application discussion was held with Mendip District Council to developed further in response to the feedback and the latest iteration discuss an alternative scheme which suggested putting a NPPF Paragraph is presented in this document, which starts with a recap of the design 55 proposal (now NPPF Paragraph 79) to the South West Design Review history.” Panel.

Reflecting the Inspector’s comments regarding the impact of the previous proposals, a revised scheme was prepared for discussion with the DRP on 9th November 2017. The initial presentation didn’t find favour and a more radical design direction was undertaken and presented with a unified landscape and architectural approach with the proposed dwelling in the

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 10 Design and Access Statement Design Development VALLEY VIEW FARM, NEW COUNTRY HOUSE 2 2.1 1st Response – Classical Design

Perspective of the 1st proposal In response to the client’s request for a classical of greenish Westmorland slate. The exterior was to be relieved by a house on the highest part of the site, enjoying projecting semi-circular portico on the northwest – entrance – side and a two-storey domed bow on the southwest side ringed by a single-storey wide-ranging views in all directions, Francis colonnade. The matching single-storey pavilions were to be linked to the Johnson and Partners prepared a design for an two –storey house by quadrant wings. essentially modern family home which would be Sophisticated late-Georgian tricks such as the elongation of the columns functional in its planning and use of materials, but and elision of the elements of the entablature would have contributed to not blandly utilitarian. a light and elegant new-classical design and the same qualities would have been evident in the interior. The design drew on the work of late-Georgian architects, particularly This scheme was submitted for, and refused, Planning Permission. It was James Wyatt, who perfected a restrained form of classicism. This then submitted to and refused at Appeal. “Regency” style was much admired by the more serious architects of the 20th Century who saw it as the point at which a new classical movement The reason for refusal centred on the definition of a “replacement could begin. Much of the work of Francis Johnson and Partners has been dwelling” in relation to National Planning Policy and the impact that from this starting point. the new house would have on its immediate setting and the wider countryside, because of its bulk and its location on the highest point of the The intended effect was one of simplicity but not austerity. The walls site. were to be of smooth, honey coloured Bath stone ashlar and the roof

Location plan

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 12 2.2 2nd Response - Symmetrical Cottage Orné

This design was conceived as a deeply considered response to the surrounding landscape and in the light of criticism of the first application.

Analysis of the landscape around Batcombe led to the conclusion that it would have been categorized as Picturesque in C18th terms and that the proper response to placing a dwelling in a Picturesque landscape was to design it as a Cottage Orné. Many examples of cottages ornés were cited in the south west of England, ranging from tiny lodge cottages to ducal mansions. But it was the cottage orné of the middling size that was the precedent for Valley View Farm. In order to satisfy the client’s preference for symmetry in architecture, a symmetrical design was developed based on John Nash’s villa at Liphook, Hampshire, “Hollycombe”, of c.1800. Whilst much altered today, its original design was recorded in George Repton’s notebook. It was to be located close to the former farm yard and on lower ground than the 1st design so that it would nestle into its setting. It did not purport to be a genuine vernacular dwelling but drew on vernacular elements distilled and heightened to enhance the picturesque effect and spiced with exotic features such as trellis verandahs. This design was submitted to the Design Review Panel on 9 November 2017. The Panel thought the design over-formal and lacking the elements of quirkiness and eccentricity which it felt should be integral to the style. They also recommend that a more multi-disciplinary approach be adopted that considered architecture, landscape architecture, ecology, M&E and structural aspects in a joined up and coordinated manner.

Proposal plan - 2nd Response, Symmetrical Cottage Orné

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 13 2.2 2nd Response - Symmetrical Cottage Orné

Photomontage View of North Front

Photomontage View of South Front

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 14 2.3 Current Scheme – Butterfly Plan Cottage Orné

The criticism of the previous design as not being member, in an unguarded moment, said that if the house already existed, The Panel feels that the proposals have now successfully demonstrated a positive mix of sufficiently convincing to qualify as a Cottage the Panel would be seeking to have it Listed), it was not considered modern technology, combined with a traditional approach that have now been shown to that the architectural proposals had demonstrated that they had been blend well and sit comfortably together. Orné proper led to a complete re-think and informed by environmental, sustainable or ecological considerations. It They also commented that “the butterfly plan sits comfortably within, and redesign by the architects. The principle of a was recommended that the house should be extremely low energy, if not is sensitive to, its setting” and were enthusiastic about the proposed carbon neutral and that a multi-disciplinary approach should be employed Cottage Orné being an appropriate response to landscaping. building in a picturesque landscape was adhered in developing its design. The scheme here presented will reuse more of the existing buildings A revised version of the scheme was presented to the Design Review Panel to and the brief in terms of the accommodation than the one presented in 2019. This is in line with the environmental on 21 March 2019. The panel commented in written remarks that: to be provided remained the same, but it was aspirations of the project in that it will preserve the embodied energy decided to fully embrace the asymmetrical … the proposals have evolved, and clearly demonstrated how they have directly responded present in the bungalow and reduce the amount of disturbance to the positively to previous comments made by the Panel, which it is felt has contributed to existing orchard and established garden. and picturesque qualities of many of the most the production of an outstanding design that is reflective of the highest standards in distinctive cottages ornés. In order to break architecture. up the substantial volume of accommodation required into a picturesque composition, the butterfly plan was adopted and developed to meet the specific requirements of the site and the brief.

At the same time, responding to the Panel’s criticism of the lack of contextual and site analysis and the need to enhance the immediate setting, a detailed study of these aspects of the scheme was undertaken. This resulted in a substantial re-thinking of the landscape of the farm and the presentation of a proposal to create a sustainably managed picturesque landscape which would be rich and diverse, considered for its long-term management and ecological enhancement, and forming a complementary setting for the re-designed house. Fortunately, the client responded to the new scheme – which had departed a very long way from the 1st Classical Scheme – with enthusiasm and he was particularly excited by the geometry of the butterfly plan and its potential for generating an interesting and enjoyable interior and exterior. The proposal was considered by the Design Review Panel on 22 March 2018. Whilst the landscape proposals were broadly welcomed and the house plan was acknowledged to work well internally (indeed one Panel Perspective sketch of the north front as it would be seen from the drive

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 15 Design and Access Statement Inspiration for the Design VALLEY VIEW FARM, NEW COUNTRY HOUSE 3 3.1 Landscape History

The historic map sequence starting 1886 shows the evolution of the landscape at Batcombe

• Woods/copses and many orchards surrounding Batcombe village and in the valleys along the water courses. Irregular fields and pastures, varying in size with some tree and hedge planting along the boundaries. Dispersed farmsteads; tucked into hill sides, usually wooded; • Batcombe village with linear pattern and dispersed building groups through and along Kale Street; • Valley View Farm as a complex of 5 farm buildings with belt of trees to the north-west with farm track through fields, from Hincombe Hill. 1903 • Small reduction of wooded areas between Kale Street and the river and to the north of the Rectory - converted into agriculture land; • Field pattern and dispersed farmsteads – similar to the late C19th and Batcombe village similar in form to the late C19th; • Valley View Farm – Arrangement of buildings and access is similar to the late C19th. Small quarry on boundary with Hincombe Hill. 1972 • Further reduction of wooded areas and orchards around Batcombe; • Infill development in village and introduction of terraces along Kale Street, linking the village with the farm buildings at Millards Hill; 2016 • Woods/copses and orchards surrounding Batcombe village and in valleys similar to the late C20th. A few more dispersed farm buildings have been built within fields; • At Valley View Farm a new cluster of farm buildings and a new farm house is built in the north east corner of the study site;

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 17 3.2 Physical and Character Attributes of the Landscape

Topography Designations and Public Rights of Way

Land use Landscape Character

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 18 3.3 The Landscape Setting

View 1500m northwest of Valley View Farm looking toward the distant vale View 1200m northeast of Valley View Farm with Batcombe village in the valley to the right

View 500m northwest of Valley View Farm looking over Batcombe village View towards the site from the northeast; existing farm buildings to the left side of the view, the location of proposed house is central

View from Portway Hill Lane 700m southwest of the site View from high ground 1000m southeast of the site with the village in the distance to the left and behind the site Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 19 3.4 Analysis of the Village and Surrounding Landscape

Analysing the context of the site was a very important part of the design process which led to the present proposal for Valley View Farm. This allowed us to find a location for the new house which not only was the best place to build on the site, but also the best place to build to enhance the wider landscape.

We have considered the defining natural and cultural characteristics of the area. Its distinct topography and the interaction of the site with valleys that almost encircle it are the key factors determining the attributes that set this place apart from others. Topography within the site is more subtle than that of the land around, with a central plateau with two high points, sloping ground around the margins, a valley towards the entrance, and proposed house location tucked against slope. Contours There is a noticeable contrast in landscape texture between the larger agricultural fields above the valley and the texture of the steeply sloping ground on the northwest side and this is reflected in the picturesque qualities adjacent to the site. More distant, and part of the views out from the site to the southeast, rising ground to a ridgeline becomes coarser, again displaying picturesque qualities.

Topography within the site

Valleys around the site

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 20 3.4 Analysis of the Village and Surrounding Landscape

Habitat and vegetation also follows the topographic pattern with orchards on the slopes above the village and valley bottom, interspersed with linear woodlands often following contours, and calcareous grassland on the steep end slope of the plateau. These woodlands and overgrown hedges form visual barriers that combine with the topography to determine the visibility of the site.

Historically, the site has been divided into large fields leaving a relatively open and bland landscape. Orchards have historically played a significant role in forming the setting of Batcombe village and the neighbouring farms. In the early 20th century, the village was encircled by the numerous Vegetation and visual barriers orchards filling the small fields of the valley sides. By the late 20th century, most of the orchards had been removed or severely depleted. Valley View Habitat around the site Farm offers the potential to reinstate some of this lost fabric and character on the lower lying and more sheltered parts of the site. In summary, the countryside around the farm has many qualities of a Picturesque landscape but the farm itself is largely open and barren.

Potential locations for orchards Picturesque semi-natural landscape

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 21 3.5 Local Architecture

The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the features”. The original plans of the houses appear to have been simple oldest and most architecturally significant rectangular single piles of two or three bays in length with limestone rubble walls and thatched or stone slate roofs. The windows had stone construction in Batcombe. Like many parish mullions and were sometimes protected by a “label mould”; main churches it occupies a site which has been in entrances could have four centred “Tudor” arches. The early houses were use since at least Saxon times, though none universally extended by later generations, either by adding bays to the of the present fabric can be dated before the gable ends, as at Stockley Cottage and Boord’s Farm, or by adding a wing at right angles to form an “L” shape as at Laburnum Cottage and Millards thirteenth century. The church underwent Hill House. significant rebuilding in the 1540s, just after the The isolated farms of the seventeenth century show more ambition. Saite Reformation, when it acquired an ambitious Farmhouse, though in vernacular style, is an impressive seven bays wide tower in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The and sited at the end of a large farmyard. Spargrove Manor (a property Millards Hill House money then lavished on the church is believed which splintered from the Manor of Batcombe while it was still in the to reflect the wealth of the village at that time. possession of the Abbey) is another notable house to the west of the village, though its present Jacobean appearance is largely the result of It is likely that the prosperity of the village in the restoration in the late nineteenth century. sixteenth century resulted in the rebuilding of most of the local dwellings as none from earlier periods survive.

The village had belonged to Glastonbury Abbey; when the Abbey was dissolved in 1539 the Manor of Batcombe was bought by James Bisse, a clothier. While many Somerset villages were prosperous on account of the Saite Farmhouse wool trade, Batcombe also had cottage industries in processing fleeces, spinning and weaving which made its inhabitants particularly rich. Boord’s Farm The original development of Batcombe village is fairly loose and linear, following the main roads along the bottom of the valley to the East and West of the parish church. Westcombe has a distinct centre on the west side of the River Alham. The buildings are a mixture of sizable farmhouses and smaller cottages, often in short rows. Further isolated farmhouses are scattered to the north and south of the village. VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE The oldest surviving dwellings within the village are not architecturally ambitious, but are built in the local vernacular style with few “architectural Laburnum Cottage and its neighbour, Westcombe Spargrove manor

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 22 3.5 Local Architecture

CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE Increasing prosperity in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries led to the construction of new houses, and the alteration of older ones, in line with Georgian fashions. Westcombe House (now demolished) was a substantial essay in the Classical style which served as the principal house of the manor estate. The first Rectory, now Batcombe House, was rebuilt with classical features including a parapet urn which disguises a chimney flue. Rockwells House had a large Georgian addition made on its south side in the eighteenth century and at the beginning of the nineteenth century a house with a pedimented doorcase set between bay windows was constructed close to the church (this became the Rectory and is now known as The Old Rectory). Batcombe House Cherry Cottage, Westcombe New small houses of this period usually have greater emphasis on symmetry, even when they don’t display many classical features. Cooper’s Roost has a doorcase with a stone classical cornice, other houses have plain door surrounds but have symmetrically arranged sash windows. The most humble cottages, such as those around Gold Hill, have casement windows and are still predominantly Vernacular in style. THE GOTHIC FASHION The fashion for the “Gothic” style which developed in the eighteenth century is most clearly seen at Batcombe Lodge which was given ball finials and ogee arched windows. This building was intended as an eye- catcher, to be seen from Westcombe House, which also had a Coach Batcombe Lodge The Old Rectory, Batcombe House with Gothick windows. The oldest part of Rockwells House was given Gothick casements with quatrefoils and cusped arches, probably because the owners had a fashionable interest in antiquarianism and felt this treatment was appropriate for an ancient house. Some other small houses, such as Cherry Cottage and Brickell House in Westcombe, were built, or altered with greater emphasis put of the “Tudor” elements of the vernacular style.

Rockwell’s House, Batcombe Brickell House, Westcombe

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 23 3.5 Local Architecture

VICTORIANA In the mid nineteenth century the cottage industries of Batcombe suffered a decline due to yarn and cloth being produced more cheaply by factories. Dairy farming and cheese making became more important sources of income. The population of the village began to decline and the Victorian expansion found in many other places did not occur here. The terrace of cottages on Kale Street appears to have been in existence by 1840, when it is shown on a Tithe map. A few individual houses were constructed or enlarged in the late nineteenth century. Kings Hayes was enlarged in a distinctly Victorian version of the vernacular style, with tall mullioned windows. Provis House acquired a Gothic front gate, along with a glazed veranda and gabled extension with barge boards. Improved transport brought new materials into the village. Stone slates and thatch were often replaced with Welsh slate and various types of clay Kale Street, Batcombe tile. Povis House, Batcombe TWENTIETH CENTURY DEVELOPMENTS In the 1920s the Westcombe Estate was sold and the farmers ceased to be tenants and became owner occupiers. A great deal of building took place in the middle and late twentieth century. A number of council houses were built along Kale Street; these are typical of the period with rendered walls and tile roofs. A large number of private bungalows and individual houses were built in the area, particularly at the east and west ends of the village. Most of the new buildings were vaguely “traditional”, but show little in common with the local vernacular or with any historical styles. The materials employed vary from rendered block, to brick, to artificial stone. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The twenty first century has seen the development of “luxury” homes in the village. Most prominent are the converted Church Barn, on a prominent site at the centre of the village, and the steel and glass eco- house built to the south of the church.

Batcombe village

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 24 3.5 Local Architecture

VALLEY VIEW FARM BATCOMBE WESTCOMBE

Survey of Architectural Character, Batcombe and Westcombe AGRICULTURAL BUILDINGS AROUND BATCOMBE A number of older barns and farm buildings survive in the area; some of them have been converted for residential use. They are generally constructed of the same materials as the domestic architecture of the period. Since the mid twentieth century new farm buildings have been exclusively steel framed with corrugated metal cladding. These are particularly prominent along Horse Hill Lane at Lower Farm, and at Pugh’s Bottom.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 25 3.6 Picturesque Response to the Setting

Numerous late eighteenth century and early The “cottage orné” style, which was judged nineteenth century architects were inspired by particularly suitable for buildings in a picturesque the rolling hills of the southwest of England to landscape as it felt informal and “natural”. Often design cottages in a picturesque fashion. Overall the designs were versions of local vernacular the landscape is pretty but no more than that. architecture with the more quirky and “antique” It fits well within the aesthetic category of “The elements emphasised. Picturesque” as codified by Uvedale Price in his The nine cottages of John Nash’s Blaise Hamlet (1811) near Bristol displays ESSAYS ON THE PICTURESQUE. a variety of vernacular motifs, exaggerated to an almost comic degree. Numerous single cottages in similar style can be found across the county Historian Kathryn Kane explains Price’s early romantic view of the of Somerset, including The Lodge at Combe Hay, Shrubbery Farm at countryside thus: Ashill, Ildene Cottage at Horton and The Old Toll House at Bruton. Later Price postulated that the picturesque fell midway between the examples emphasise the Tudor elements of the local vernacular as at Beautiful and the Sublime. A “beautiful” landscape was peaceful, Park Cottage, Bath and Aldon Lodge, Yeovil and are more architecturally Rear of Selwood Lodge serene, typically a rolling green sward, dotted with clumps of well serious. kempt trees. At the other extreme, a “sublime” landscape was raw, Large houses for the gentry, such as Selwood Lodge at Frome, Houghton awe-inspiring, even terrifying to behold, such as views of craggy rock Lodge in Hampshire, Angeston Grange in Gloucestershire and the ducal formations, crashing waterfalls and wind – or lightning – blasted trees. Endsleigh Cottage in Devon, used the cottage style to reduce their visual In the middle of that scale was the picturesque, a landscape which impact and to appear part of the landscape in a way that a Classical house was furnished with a variety of curious details and irregular textures couldn’t. which engaged the viewer, but did not terrify them. Local precedents of the cottage orné style are illustrated to the right.

Old Toll House, Bruton, 4km from Valley View Farm

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 26 3.6 Picturesque Response to the Setting

Shrubbery Farm Cottage, Ashill Selwood Lodge, Frome Park Cottage, Bath

Aldon Lodge, Yeovil Ildene Cottage, Horton The Lodge, Combe Hay Wake Hill, Kingstone The Gables Hotel, Porlock

Circular Cottage, Blaise Hamlet Diamond Cottage, Blaise Hamlet Oak Cottage, Blaise Hamlet Vine Cottage, Blaise Hamlet

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 27 3.6 Picturesque Response to the Setting

ANGESTON GRANGE

BLAISE HAMLET

PARK COTTAGE FLINT COTTAGE

THE GABLES SELWOOD LODGE VALLEY VIEW FARM

ILDENE LODGE OLD TOLL HOUSE HOUGHTON LODGE SHRUBBERY FARM COTTAGE WAKE HILL ALDON LODGE

KNOWEL COTTAGE ENDSLEIGH COTTAGE

THE BARN

Location of Cottage Orné in the South West

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 28 Design and Access Statement Design Influences and Strategies VALLEY VIEW FARM, NEW COUNTRY HOUSE 4 4.1 Picturesque Batcombe

The Valley View Farm site is south and east of the centre of the village; close to it but completely screened by mature trees and a steep slope. Much of the site is gently sloping upland grazing which tilts gently to the north and east. The existing farmhouse and modern barns are located at the northern end of the site on Hincombe Hill. There have been attempts to establish trees on the site including a small orchard by the existing farm.

The proposed site for the new country house is on a slope at the south- eastern edge of the site, close to a group of farm buildings including an old stone stable, overlooking a wood fringed valley. In common with the local properties it is in a sheltered position in a gentle dip in the ground but elevated above the valley bottom. This site for the house is in some ways reminiscent of the setting of Endsleigh Cottage on a slope above Picturesque landscape around the farm the Tamar valley in Devon. There too the house is aligned with the contours of the hillside with woodland above and gardens and open land below. Principal views will take in Seat Hill at the end of the valley to the southeast, and Creech Hill along the Valley of the River Alham to the southwest. The illustration on the following page shows how elements of the Picturesque landscape have inspired the layout for the Valley View Farm masterplan.

Batcombe nestled within its valley

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 30 4.2 Picturesque Landscape

Development of Picturesque landscape elements within Valley View Farm, inspired by the Picturesque surroundings

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 31 4.3 Building Siting and Orientation

The existing bungalow at Valley View Farm is, like many twentieth century buildings in the village, 140m positioned awkwardly. It is further from the road than most of the cottages and village farmhouses HIGH SPOT but is too near the main routes to be considered LOW SPOT an “outlying” farm. For this reason it was decided BOUNDARY HEDGE that the new house should exploit more of the possibilities of the landscape setting.

The first classical design used the slightly domed centre of the site. This 145m location was unencumbered by the topography and led to a static, generic design. In developing the second and third designs a more characterful PROPOSED LOCATION EXISTING RETAINED location was sought which would help to develop a very specific solution. FOR THE HOUSE BARN The location chosen was towards the south end of the site close to an existing group of farm buildings. In this area the site is bounded by a dry valley which runs from northeast to south west and the land slopes gently to the south. The precise location chosen is high enough up the slope VIEWS to allow the house to have views over the boundary hedge but keeps it relatively low on the skyline when seen from a distance. NORTH The orientation of the building is generally to the south and southeast, which allows it to benefit from the views towards Seat Hill to the east and to Creech Hill to the south. This also allows the building to catch as much sun as possible on winter mornings when solar gain is most desirable. VIEWS

SUN-PATH

PREVAILING WIND VIEWS

135m VIEWS

VIEWS

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 32 4.4 Massing, Form, Organisation and Layout

The present scheme, as has been described, resulted from the 2017 Design Review Panel’s rejection of the Symmetrical Cottage Orné and their recommendation that the more quirky and eccentric elements of the style should be explored.

It is not easy for an architect to completely put aside his thinking hitherto and attempt to come up with a completely new scheme for the same site and the same brief but of a different character. The accompanying doodles indicate the wide range of sources which were explored, from Robert Adam’s castle designs to John Nash’s geometrically planned villas.

In the end, it was the butterfly plan that seemed to offer the most potential Papillon Hall for a satisfying layout, interesting interiors and a romantic picturesque exterior full of quirkiness and eccentricity, and to best fit the site.

THE HISTORY OF BUTTERFLY PLANS The distinctive plan form with four wings projecting diagonally from a central core is commonly referred to as a butterfly plan. The earliest example is Westwood House (1612) in Worcestershire, but the form became particularly popular in the early twentieth century with architects of the Arts and Crafts movement. The butterfly plan was popular for allowing the maximum amount of sunlight to enter the house, and for allowing its inhabitants multiple views out. The most famous butterfly plan house was Papillon Hall (1902-4) in Leicestershire by Edwin Lutyens. More directly comparable to the proposals for Valley View Farm is The Barn (1896) in Exmouth, Devon by Edward Schroeder Prior; this is distinctly cottagey in detail and has a curved verandah as a central feature.

Preliminary studies exploring organisation and layout

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 33 4.4 Massing, Form, Organisation and Layout

THE BUTTERFLY PLAN AT VALLEY VIEW At Valley View Farm, the effect of the butterfly plan in elevation is to break down the bulk of the building and present a variety of different picturesque compositions from different angles. The apparently whimsical organic nature of the scheme is underpinned by a carefully thought out geometry. The aim is to consciously produce a “pretty” dwelling which will nestle into and enhance its immediate setting and, where visible from further afield, contribute an agreeable picturesque feature to the landscape – without dominating it – in accordance with late eighteenth century Picturesque Theory. The proposed house consists of a pair of two storey “L” shaped wings linked at their angles by a central core in a “butterfly” formation. The eaves of the main building have been kept to a height of one and a half storeys which reduces the ridge height of the building, but also offers an opportunity to insert distinctive dormers along the side elevations. The wings of the butterfly are “pinned” by four tall double chimney stacks. The central axis of the house runs north – south. To the south-west and north-west are the formal rooms, whilst the south-east and north-east wings contain the family room and kitchen. The garage wing turns through a further 45° to wrap round the contours and embrace the entrance forecourt. The dining room occupies the central axial position on the south side.

Sketch drawings refining elevation and plan layout

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 34 4.5 Materials

The wall facing material is to be coursed rubble Ham Hill stone, quarried at Hamdon Hill near Yeovil, with ashlar dressings in the same material. This is the alternative local stone to Doulting. Its rich honey colour and shelly structure make it “one of England’s most seductive stones”, to quote Alec Clifton-Taylor, and it is attractive to lichens.

The roofs are to be covered in new Cotswold stone slates from the Tinkers Barn Quarry near Guiting Power, Gloucestershire. Stone slates were the traditional roofing material in the area before they were supplanted by Welsh slates and Bridgwater tiles in the C19th. They are well suited to Ham Hill Stone (aka Hamstone) is a Lower Jurassic limestone of limited extent (Toarcian, Upper Lias). At Ham Hill (west of Yeovil) the relatively soft poorly-fossiliferous quartzose sandstone of the the character of a cottage orné as well as being beautiful and attractive to Bridport Sand Formation (previously Bridport & Yeovil sands) is represented by 15-20 m of bioclastic limestone. This must have been deposited in a high energy, shallow sea with a reduced input of wildlife. Laying them is a highly skilled trade, and one which needs to be quartz sand and an abundant supply of shell debris. kept alive for the sake of the historic buildings in the region. Ham Hill Stone is a well-cemented medium to coarse grained limestone characterised by its oxidised honey-gold colour due to iron content. It shows marked cross-bedding and moulds of shell debris. Some horizons have a blue grey centre where the iron has not oxidized. The stone contains thin beds of poorly cemented material and some small soft clay inclusions. These areas weather differentially to At the centre of the south front, a rustic verandah supported by tree give exposed Ham Hill Stone its furrowed appearance. trunks (with the bark left on) wraps round the Dining Room bow. The fenestration to each gable is different, as are the pierced and decorated barge boards in a variety of gothic patterns. Some of the details are derived from John Nash’s picturesque designs, as recorded in George Repton’s notebook, as are the great chimneys on simplified Tudor lines.

Roofing stone can be thick and textured in many different forms and weighing approximately one ton per 10metre sq. Generally a stone roofs minimum pitch should be 45 degrees, although they are more durable at 55-60 degrees. Stone slates are laid in courses that diminish in size with the largest courses at the eaves and the smallest stone slates at the top courses. A stone tiler sometimes has names for different types and sizes of stone tiles. Names such as ‘whippets, jonesy, long elevens’.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 35 4.6 Energy Conservation and Generation

We are aiming to show how a house of traditional appearance can be constructed so that it is extremely low on energy consumption through utilising low embodied energy materials with high thermal resistance and long life combined with modern building technologies.

The site has no connection to the gas network or community heating system. Other dwellings in the area rely primarily on fossil fuels such as oil and LPG for central heating and hot water. The building construction will be carefully constructed and detailed to avoid unwanted energy loss through the fabric and via air infiltration. Along with the high levels of insulation, a key part of energy efficient building fabric is high levels of air tightness ensuring that ventilation is fully controllable. Passivhaus certified Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems will be installed to serve the building. Four units located in the basement plant room will ensure that the building is ventilated correctly throughout the year. Ground Source Heat Pumps will be installed to provide heating and hot water. The systems will be separated to ensure that maximum efficiency from each system is achieved. The heating GSHP will be connected to a water-based under-floor heating system. With the high levels of insulation in the building fabric and the low operating temperature of the under-floor Graphical Representation of the Proposed Systems heating efficiencies of >400% can be achieved. Secondary high temperature heat pumps combined with 8m2 of costs depending on frequency of use. Stoves have been selected over evacuated solar collectors located on the flat roof in the centre of the open fires, as they can burn fuel up to 4 times more efficiently making building will be employed. The array will be connected to a water storage them a very economical and fuel-efficient source of heat. Ventilation of volume of about 400lt located in the basement plantroom. The solar stoves is much easier with direct connections to the units avoiding open array is expected, under typical use, to provide 60 – 75% of the hot water vents and the associated draughts that occur with open fires. production. A slinky array will be employed for both the ground-source A Photovoltaic array of 100m2 facing south west producing heat pumps 13,000Kwhrs/hr will be located on the roof of the retained barn located There is a wood burning stove located in the family room, sitting room, near the site entrance. The electricity generated via the PV panels will be dining and the kitchen. Whilst these will not form an integral part of the stored in three very efficient batteries, used directly in the house, or sold heating system, they will contribute towards reducing the overall running to the grid.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 36 4.7 Integrated Approach

WINDOW OVERHANGS TO AUGMENT TREE PROTECTION AGAINST SUMMER SUN GOOD CROSS FLOW OF AIR IN ROOMS NOT SHADED BY TREES IN SUMMER PLANTING ON TERRACE REDUCES TREES PLACED TO AVOID RADIATED SOLAR BLOCKING VIEWS FROM GAIN PRINCIPAL WINDOWS

MVHR TO ALL ROOMS TREES PROVIDE SHELTER FROM WESTERLY WINDS

TREE SHADING OF BUILDING AND GROUND

TREE SHADE ANALYSIS USED TO DETERMINE THE POSITION OF TREES

VERANDAH TO PROTECT AGAINST SOUTH SUN

FOUNTAIN AND POOL HELP COOL SOUTH / SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS

Architecture, garden design and building technology combined to provide the optimum micro-climate and minimum energy consumption

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 37 4.8 Response to Design Review Panel Comments

“The scheme for a proposed new Paragraph 79 The panel felt that, subject to specific commitments being made regarding 5. Building Services have been indicated on the plans in Section 5.4. learning outcomes, “the proposals would help to raise standards of design (previously referred to as Paragraph 55 in the 6. It is acknowledged that “airtightness in building is achieved 90% by more generally in rural areas, and that they are sensitive to the defining design and 10% by extra effort by the contractor,” and that it involves any NPPF) dwelling at Valley View Farm, Batcombe characteristics of the local area.” has been presented to The Design Review Panel person who reacts with the external envelope. As many as possible should They however raised a number of points which they felt should be be trained, or workshops arrangement on site. We propose that there on the following four occasions; addressed in a subsequent planning application: should be an “airtightness champion” on site, not the site manager, but possibly the client or deputy site manager. • 9th November 2017 1. Provide confirmation that the quality of the interior architectural detail will also be outstanding. The proposed masonry construction with wet plaster and screeded concrete floors is a reliable way to build an airtight layer, but all areas 2. Provide appropriate fencing for grazing long-horn cattle. • 22nd March 2018 need to be plastered, even if they are not exposed. The planning of the 3. Provide a method statement for the initial achievement of the meadow sequence of all the relevant steps will be important from inspections, • 20th September 2018 and for its long-term management. recording (including photographs) sealing works, through to the number of airtightness tests and when they need to happen. 4. The revision of the Energy Statement Document. • 21st March 2019” Consideration of all of these aspects will be paramount in the preparation 5. The indication of the building services on the plans. of the working drawings and the writing of the specification, and ultimately On the last occasion, the Panel concluded that 6. Careful consideration to the achievement of the building airtightness so in the selection of the contractor. as to meet the stated aspirations. “the proposals had demonstrated that they are 7. The Thermal Modelling Report July 2020 prepared by Thomas truly outstanding, reflecting the highest standards 7. The inclusion of IES Ve modelling to demonstrate the building’s thermal McCosker of Ridge is included as Appendix B. It was prepared using in architecture”. performance. dynamic thermal modelling software (IES Ve 2019) to estimate the proposed building’s thermal performance. It will be updated as the 8. The provision of further information on the detail and function of the detailed design of the building progresses. outside living spaces. 8. The use of the various terraces around the house has been identified on 9. Proposed long-term commitments regarding learning outcomes. the garden layout plan. 9. In order for the project to be useful as an educational case study, it is In response, proposed that a written and video record of the construction process should be kept from the point that planning consent is granted. Both the 1. We have enlarged upon the proposed treatment of the house interiors in construction of the building and the implementation of the landscape Section 5.2a Interiors. design and the biodiversity strategy would be documented. In the 2. The fencing to the field has been identified on the landscape layout recording of the architectural aspects of the project, particular attention plan. would be paid to the successful integration of traditional aesthetics and craftsmanship with new materials and techniques. By showing that a 3. A method statement for the achievement and long-term management modern home, built to high standards of efficiency and sustainability, of the meadow has been added as Appendix A. can also have a traditional appearance the project would help to raise 4. The Energy Strategy Document has been revised under Section 4.6.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 38 4.8 Response to Design Review Panel Comments the standard of rural architecture by direct example and as a general inspiration. The interiors would be meticulously recorded to show how old-style, handmade, detailing can be implemented on a modern building site. The records of the creation of the building and landscape would be shared with schools and colleges in the local area. The project would be particularly pertinent to Bridgewater & Taunton College, which has its Construction Skills & Innovation Centre (CSIC) located nearby at Cannington, for whom it would offer an insight into the use of contemporary engineering techniques applied to a domestic project. At the end of the construction period, before the building is occupied, it is proposed that there should be an organised tour of the development for all interested stakeholders, led by the architect and project manager. This would highlight how the traditional architecture was delivered in combination with modern mechanical and electrical engineering to ensure a reduced carbon output without compromising the architectural integrity of the building.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 39 Design and Access Statement Development Proposals VALLEY VIEW FARM, NEW COUNTRY HOUSE 5 5.1 Landscape Masterplan

The proposed landscape design responds to the wider setting and draws on the picturesque Entrance gardening tradition of the Regency period. The Batcombe village picturesque garden may have formal elements Orchard close to buildings, but is largely informal and responds to the natural topography of the site. Drive In this case the centre of the site is retained as an open paddock with new woodland and scattered clumps of tree and scrub towards the edges connecting the site with its immediate surroundings. It is proposed that the paddock has a small round woodland clump on a small local highspot and that it be grazed by English Longhorn cattle . The south side of the paddock would have a large pond lying in a low hollow. Pigs would be kept Grazing in the narrow paddock between the old drive track and east boundary fence. The existing orchard near the bungalow, which can be seen from the public highway, is to be greatly expanded across the width of the sloping land with new apple, pear and plum trees of local cultivars. This will help return the density of orchard planting in the Batcombe Valley, a Woodland characteristic of the village and its surrounds, towards its historic levels. The drive would curve up through the orchard before emerging into the higher open plateau.

Woodland along the western and northern boundary would fill the space House and garden between the drive and the boundary and provide shelter, screening and additional woodland habitat. At the southern end of the site it is proposed to leave some of the land as open meadow; this is adjacent to an existing area of calcareous grassland Meadow and will provide a buffer and it is hoped that with careful management this will become colonised by frog orchids, cheddar pinks and other rare wildflowers.

Landscape masterplan and existing plan

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 41 5.1 Landscape Masterplan

The sections illustrate how the house would nestle into the site and Landscape sections illustrating how the proposed house will not be were produced in response to a request made at a DRP presentation. seen from the village due to the intervening hillside and vegetation. The In views glimpsed back towards the site, the house would appear as a position of the proposed house is just below the highest part of the site rambling, long, low composition, partially hidden by luxuriant planting, and so nestles slightly against the gentle slope. and completely integrated into its setting as opposed to dominating it, in fulfilment of the aims of Picturesque Theory.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 42 5.1 Landscape Masterplan

The proposed informal drive to the house would follow a deliberately meandering path to allow the different aspects of the picturesque landscape to be appreciated.

At the entrance to the drive the exposed quarry face would require some cutting through to create a satisfactory gradient. This cutting, exposing the underlying stone, would be treated as a rocky bluffs. From there the drive would climb slowly through the orchard to the paddock, skirting its edge in a wide arc before arriving at the forecourt of the proposed new house. The drive would approach the house curving around the cattle paddock and pond to arrive at a forecourt, partially enclosed by the garage wing. Along the drive, there would be a sequence of views of the distant hillsides and valleys framed by trees and woodlands. From the house the principal views would be to the south and east, overlooking the neighbouring valley to the higher picturesque ground beyond.

Sletch illustrating the entrance drive coming off Hincombe Hill and curving up through the rocky bluffs with the existing bungalow set behind trees on the left.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 43 5.1 Landscape Masterplan

Existing view of the farm buildings at the north end of the site. All would be removed apart from the bungalow and green clad barn at the back Proposed view over the new drive and orchards after removal of existing buildings

Existing view of the farm buildings on the south boundary. All would be removed except the stone barn on the left Proposed view after removal of barns and creation of the new pond. The gable of the new garage wing would be just left of the view

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 44 5.1 Landscape Masterplan

Existing view from northwest of the proposed position for the house

Proposed view looking along the drive towards the gardens and house, with new pond on the left and existing retained barn behind, foreground trees in meadow and proposed woodland block framing the right side of the view

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 45 5.2 Architecture

The genesis of the house design has been described under 4.3 and the accompanying plans illustrate its full development. Following the advice of the Panel at the last meeting, the plant room has been moved from the end of the north- east wing to a basement beneath the kitchen where it is well placed for the running of services into the four wings. A sectional drawing on the central axis illustrates how the solar panels are hidden on the sunken area of flat roof. Such an area, out of sight, is also very useful for locating such things as satellite dishes and vent pipe terminals which can so easily mar the elevations. The overhang on the first floor bay windows on the south side has also been increased to shade the windows from the high summer sun.

The elevations illustrate the rich vocabulary employed, deriving partly from the local vernacular in the Gothick windows, label moulds and Tudoresque arches, to the canopied bay windows, elaborate barge boards and towering chimneys derived from John Nash, to the frankly whimsical rustic verandah to the dining room bow supported on knobbly tree trunks “There is no point in pretending that the cottage orné is a weighty (with the bark left on). manifestation of anything, but at its best it offers a great deal of lightweight charm. If those charms have anything to teach a The challenge we were set by the Design Review Panel in September 2018 modern generation of architects, it is that it is not morally wrong for was to illustrate that the house could be constructed to incorporate all architecture sometimes to be fun”. these features whilst being a low energy, eco-friendly build. The sectional drawings and details which we presented in March 2019 demonstrated Cottages Ornés by Roger White that we could achieve this. The illustrations in this document which have been developed from those diagrams, show what is possible by combining the use of clever innovative materials with traditional construction using a Fabric First approach, and by reducing uncontrolled air penetration to an absolute minimum.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 46 5.2 Architecture

The proposed house consists of a pair of two The main entrance is from the north, via a porch, into the circular staircase storey “L” shaped wings linked at their angles hall in the centre of the plan. From here the ground floor is organised with formal rooms, the Drawing Room and Library, on the west side and by a central core in a “butterfly” formation (see the Family room and Kitchen to the east. Between the wings is the Dining below). The eaves of the main building have Room which has a curved external wall with French windows sheltered by been kept to a height of one and a half storeys a verandah. which reduces the ridge height of the building, The first floor is taken up by bedrooms and bathrooms; the principal but also offers an opportunity to insert distinctive bedrooms enjoy the same views as the main ground floor rooms. dormers along the side elevations. The wings of The garages, laundry and other service elements have been placed in a the butterfly are “pinned” by four tall double single storey wing to the west. This is visually “pinned” in place by a clock chimney stacks. tower. The plantroom is located in a basement, below the kitchen, close to the centre of the building in order to keep service ducts short and efficient.

Ground floor plan First floor plan

Basement plan

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 47 5.2 Architecture

North - Northeast Elevation

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 48 5.2 Architecture

South - Southwest Elevation

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 49 5.2a Interiors

At this stage of the planning process the architects would not usually provide a detailed account of the proposed interiors of a private house such as the proposed Valley View Farm; however the design review panel in 2019 felt that this was an area of interest which should be expanded upon in our planning application.

Proposed section through Valley View Farm

Francis Johnson and Partners have a history of designing not just in instead took their contemporary language of classical motifs and The usual approach of Francis Johnson and Partners is to first develop a the Classical mode of Georgian architecture, but also in the Georgian translated them in a charming and fanciful way in to Gothick. hierarchical vocabulary of joinery details. Usually the reception rooms are “Gothick” style. This style is a light, elegant but quirky style suited to given the largest and most complex mouldings, bedrooms slightly simpler In the twenty-first century the architects of Valley View Farm will develop domestic interiors and similar to the style used in many an eighteenth- ones, and utility areas have the plainest and most robust details. The size a parallel approach to creating interiors which are suited to modern century cottage orné. of doors is similarly graduated. This approach creates a visual language living but which use traditional craftsmanship and draw upon the which easily differentiates between a door to a dining room and one to As has been argued in section 3.6, the cottage orné was a picturesque “nonstandard” nature of the Gothick style to allow the designer a certain closet so that the layout of the house can be intuitively understood. conceit, not intended to be taken as a serious piece of mediaeval revival. flexibility to invent treatments for features that lie outside the classical Nor were the genteel occupants intended to adopt hair shirt rusticity vocabulary. The use of decorative plaster work for cornices and ceilings gives scope just because they were in the countryside. Eighteenth century architects for artistic expression and will be used to visually resolve some of the complicated geometry created by the butterfly plan.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 50 5.2a A visit to the newly completed Valley View Farm

This section speculates on what the finished interior of Valley View Farm might be like and is visualised using drawings and photographs of previous projects by Francis Johnson and Partners. The details of the interior are likely to change as the architects develop the scheme further with the clients.

The front door is likely to be of unvarnished oak which would develop a silvery hue from exposure to the Somerset sun and rain. It would sit within a gothic archway, defined by some simple chamfered mouldings. The door leaf could be built by local craftsmen in a robust style complemented by black iron ironmongery that might be handwrought by a local blacksmith. The panels in the upper part of the door form three lancet arches hinting at the more refined architectural themes that develop within. Trompe l’oeil stone effect with painted stone joints in an entrance vestibule. A cantilevered staircase in the Gothick style. The Vestibule might have a vaulted ceiling with rib mouldings ascending from finely modelled corbel brackets. The floor is probably of limestone tiles, set diagonally, and the walls and ceiling could be painted in a matching stone colour with “joints” picked out in white. This trompe l’oeil effect could be created by students under the direction of a senior interior decorator. The use of a stone effect in an entrance hall would hark back to a long tradition which was particularly strong in the Georgian period. The entrance to the cloakroom would probably be artfully concealed as a jib door in the right-hand wall, its presence only revealed by a discreet brass knob. At the end of this short corridor would be a pair of double doors, the upper halves of which would probably be glazed in a pattern derived from Gothic tracery, incorporating coloured glass around their margins. These doors lead into the Staircase Hall, the most architecturally ambitious interior in the house. A hallway with Gothick vaulting.

A crossbanded handrail, precisely crafted into a smooth flowing curve.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 51 5.2a A visit to the newly completed Valley View Farm

incorporate motifs from the architecture. At the end of the room three French windows look out through the rustic loggia to the surrounding hills; this view may be echoed by murals of the Wessex landscape on the side walls.

A circular window in the Gothick style. A bespoke panelled door with hardwood veneer.

The doors which lead to the ground floor rooms are likely to be finished in hardwood veneers; their panels might be, not rectangular, but cusped in Georgian Gothick style. The setting out of a helical staircase in a domed staircase hall. Although buried in the centre of the plan, this double height space would feel light and airy due to the delicacy of the decoration. The cantilevered staircase would rise in a helix around the walls of the circular room to the first-floor landing, drawing the eye upwards to the dome, decorated with Gothick motifs. Skilled joiners could be employed to create a cross banded A dining room in the Gothick style with bespoke chairs. hardwood handrail rising from a generous scroll in a smooth curve. The floor could again made from polished limestone, but with additional slate dots and perhaps a compass rose motif in the centre of the room.

Figure 9 Gothick vaulted corridor and two types of Gothick door. Straight ahead is the formal Dining Room which is an irregular octagon. It might be decorated with a mixture of Gothick motifs and stylised grape vines to symbolise conviviality. The elaborate plaster ceiling rose could be the location for a dramatic chandelier; either antique or specially commissioned. At the centre of the room there could be an oval dining A dome decorated in the Gothick style. table with a set of chairs commissioned from a local cabinet maker which Plan of the ceiling of the Gothick dining room.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 52

Figure 11 Plan of the ceiling of the Gothick dining room. 5.2a A visit to the newly completed Valley View Farm

A small lobby, complete with its own cross vaulted ceiling, leads on to the two other formal rooms in the house. The Library/Sitting Room has floor to ceiling bookcases on either side of the fireplace, a broad fender seat could invite fireside reading or chats. The ceiling might be coffered and decorated with medallion portraits representing the owners’ favourite authors and philosophers.

A drawing room in the Gothick style.

The Drawing Room is the largest room in the house. This is a space for entertaining and for displaying the owners favourite artworks. The ceiling could have a bold Gothick cornice to complement a Gothick chimney piece especially commissioned for the room. The bay windows would be broad enough to be used as rooms within a room when more cosiness is required. A bespoke chimney piece in the Gothick style.

A library in the Gothick style.

Detail of the Gothick library ceiling. A bay window furnished as a working place with a chair and table. Working drawings for chimney piece.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 53 5.2a A visit to the newly completed Valley View Farm

The Kitchen, Family Room and informal Dining Area on the other side On the first floor the main Bedrooms have Gothick panelled doors, the of the house are likely to be less grandly presented but their joinery trims minor bedrooms and bathrooms have simpler patterns. The complicated are part of a family of mouldings which ties them to the theme developed geometries of some of the rooms can be turned into a virtue by the clever elsewhere in the house. introduction of architectural features to resolve and focus awkward spaces.

A heirarchy of panelled doors.

A formally planned but practical kitchen. The use of bold architectural forms can make a virtue of difficult spaces. Over the span of its construction, Valley View Farm could allow dozens of apprentices to develop skills in masonry, joinery and decorative plasterwork, that are readily transferable to work on other new build traditional homes and to the heritage sector.

A plaster cornice in the Georgian Gothick style, derived from the work of Batty Langley.

A hierarchy of joinery trim details.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 54 5.3 Reuse of Old Buildings

The new house and garage wing are positioned close to the former farmyard where the existing unsightly modern farm buildings are to be demolished and the simple stonebuilt stable restored with a slate roof and timber windows to serve as a garden store.

The proposed works make use of existing openings exclusively with no alterations. No internal additions or partitions are proposed. The existing sheet metal roof is to be replaced with Welsh slate. As such the scheme conforms with the principles of good practice in the EH publication THE CONVERSION OF TRADITIONAL FARM BUILDINGS and Development Policy 22: Reuse and Conversion of Rural Buildings. A games lawn is to be located on the site of the former concrete yard and demolished shed bases screened by a belt of trees. The removal of the redundant buildings and the re-landscaping of this corner of the site will greatly enhance what is at present an eye-sore.

Stone barn to be retained and made good

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 55 5.4 Sustainable Design and Construction

The Design Review Panel have raised a number of questions about the proposed methods for Roof: Natural stone roof tiles fixed to battens. 360mm total thickness sustainable design and construction. Specific of Rockwool Flex and Rockfall insulation laid over, between and below points are answered in this section of the report. rafters. U value 0.11 W/m²C.

Solar panels, vent pipes and antenna all on flat roof of central block. Overhanging eaves shade thermal mass of building in summer but allow sun to penetrate rooms in winter. Summer sun at 72° Winter sun at 25° First Floor: Heated floor screed (wet system) on 25mm cork board insulation on screed on beam and block. External Walls: Walling stone outer leaf and block inner leaf. 350mm thick Rockwool HP partial fill wall insulation to cavity with 25mm Surecav*. U value 0.11 W/m²C. *Surecav is a moulded, recycled, polypropylene panel made in Wincanton. Accepted by NHBC in all exposures zones up to and including severe and has BBA Windows: Pilkington Spacia vacuum certification. Property is Zone 3 glazing. U value 1.15 W/m²C. exposure area for wind driven rain.

Ground Floor: Heated floor screed (wet system) on 300mm thick cork board insulation on concrete floor slab over hardcore. U value 0.10 W/m²C.

Section illustrating key building technologies to be employed

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 56 5.4 Sustainable Design and Construction

GROUND & FIRST FLOOR F.A.I. DUCTS CONNECT TO SUITABLE SCHEMATIC OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEMS FOR SPACE HEATING, LEGEND SEPARATION COWL ROOF DESIRABLE WATER HEATING, POWER SUPPLY AND VENTILATION: EXTRACT DUCTWORK (WET ROOMS) WINE SUPPLY DUCTWORK (OCCUPIED ROOMS) GROUND & FIRST FLOOR EXHAUST DUCTS CONNECT TO SUITABLE COWL ROOF FRESH AIR INTAKE DUCTWORK (F.A.I.) FORECOURT LEGEND EXTRACT DUCTWORK (WET ROOMS) LAUNDRY SUPPLY DUCTWORK (OCCUPIED ROOMS) - Ground source heat pump for underfloor space heating EXHAUST AIR DUCTWORK FRESH AIR INTAKE DUCTWORK (F.A.I.) EXHAUST AIR DUCTWORK BOOT DIRECTION OF AIR FLOW DIRECTION OF AIR FLOW ROOM MVHR - MECHANICAL VENTILATION WITH HEAT RECOVERY

MVHR - MECHANICAL VENTILATION WITH HEAT RECOVERY possible hatch - Ground source heat pump for hot water production to basement W.C. 2

down VESTIBULE - Mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system DRAWING ROOM CLOAKS DINING LARDER AREA - Photovoltaic array on the existing barn supplying electricity for use at W.C. up the house, storage or transfer to the grid KITCHEN STAIRCASE Ø150mm GROUND FLOOR EXTRACT DUCT T.B. HALL - Solar panels on the roof to supplement hot water heating Ø150mm GROUND FLOOR SUPPLY DUCT F.B.

up RISER - Ø150mm FIRST FLOOR EXTRACT DUCT F.A./ T.B. SEE DETAIL 1 Ø150mm FIRST FLOOR EXTRACT DUCT F.B/ T.A.

2400 Ø150mm GROUND FLOOR EXHAUST DUCT F.B. / T.B.

Ø150mm GROUND FLOOR F.A.I. DUCT F.A. / T.B. DINING ROOM FAMILY ROOM Ø150mm FIRST FLOOR EXHAUST DUCT F.B. / T.A.

Ø150mm FIRST FLOOR F.A.I. DUCT F.A. / T.B.

LIBRARY / SITTING ROOM 400 PLANT ROOM SUPPLY & EXTRACT DUCTS RISE / DROP TO GROUND FLOOR C.V.

F.A.I. & EXHAUST DUCTS RISE / GROUND FLOOR MVHR DROP TO / FROM ROOF OUTLETS UNIT (FLOOR MOUNTED) (ACCESS AREA) RISER DETAIL 1 SUPPLY & EXTRACT DUCTS RISE / FIRST FLOOR MVHR UNIT DROP TO FIRST FLOOR C.V. (FLOOR MOUNTED)

F.A.I. & EXHAUST DUCTS RISE / TYPICAL MVHR UNIT SIZE: DROP TO / FROM ROOF OUTLETS WIDTH = 1000mm DEPTH = 800mm HEIGHT = 1600mm (VERTICAL DUCT Ground floor CONNECTIONS)

up BATH 7 LEGEND EXTRACT DUCTWORK (WET ROOMS) SUPPLY DUCTWORK (OCCUPIED ROOMS) BEDROOM 7 FRESH AIR INTAKE DUCTWORK (F.A.I.) EXHAUST AIR DUCTWORK DIRECTION OF AIR FLOW

MVHR - MECHANICAL VENTILATION WITH HEAT RECOVERY

down

BEDROOM 3 Basement BEDROOM 6

BATH 5 BATH 2 BATH 6 BATH 3 Ø150mm GROUND FLOOR EXHAUST DUCT F.B. / T.A. BEDROOM 5 BEDROOM 2 down Ø150mm FIRST FLOOR F.A.I. DUCT F.A. / T.B. Ø150mm FIRST FLOOR

LINEN EXTRACT DUCT T.B. LOBBY RISER - SEE DETAIL 2 CLOSET shower BATHROOM 4

GROUND & FIRST FLOOR F.A.I. DUCTS CONNECT TO SUITABLE SEPARATION COWL ROOF Ø150mm GROUND FLOOR DESIRABLE OWN BATHROOM OWN BEDROOM BEDROOM 4 750 F.A.I. DUCT F.A. / T.B.

GROUND & FIRST FLOOR EXHAUST DUCTS CONNECT TO Ø150mm FIRST FLOOR SUITABLE COWL ROOF LEGEND FUPPLY DUCT F.B. EXTRACT DUCTWORK (WET ROOMS) SUPPLY DUCTWORK (OCCUPIED ROOMS) FRESH AIR INTAKE DUCTWORK (F.A.I.) Ø150mm FIRST FLOOR EXHAUST AIR DUCTWORK EXHAUST DUCT F.B. / T.A. DIRECTION OF AIR FLOW MVHR - MECHANICAL VENTILATION WITH HEAT RECOVERY 1000

RISER DETAIL 2 Basement First floor

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 57 5.4 Sustainable Design and Construction

TYPICAL WINDOW DETAIL

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 58 5.4 Sustainable Design and Construction

PROPOSED MATERIALS: PILKINGTON SPACIA GLASS AND SURECAV CAVITY WATER BARRIER

Pilkington Spacia used in a building with traditional appearance New technology in cavity wall construction ensures clean and moisture free cavities, providing more floor space and allowing additional insulation space

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 59 5.5 Gardens

The curving drive approach will gradually reveal the house centred between the cattle paddock pond and the woodland. A stone edged gravel forecourt, partially enclosed by the garage wing is placed in front of the main entrance that would be framed by two small ornamental trees and flowerbeds.

An irregular stone paved terrace wraps around the house, frequently broken by plants up against the building, specimen shrubs and small trees, creating a number of different places to sit, each with a different aspect and degree of shelter. To the west side of the house, stone arising from the excavation to form the entrance valley, the pond and the level platform for the house would be used to construct raised sinuous rockery beds. A lawn running southwest below the rockeries would have an eye- catcher on the house southwest axis. Below the house, a circular rustic pond edged in the same stones would be linked to an informal swimming pond by a rill running below a grass terrace bank. Further lawns terraces would step down the slope culminating in a rose garden, shrubbery along the boundary. An arbour on the southeast axis would be a place to sit and look back at the house. A level area where the dilapidated barns would be cleared would be become a games lawn for badminton, tennis and croquet beside the retained stone barn.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 60 5.5 Gardens

Paddock

Drive Woodland Pond Games lawn

Swimming pond

Lawn

Pond

Flower beds Rockeries Rose garden

Lawn Meadow

The house nestled within the garden structure linking the woodland, boundary hedges and shrub beds.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 61 5.5 Gardens

The sections illustrate how the house would nestle into the site and have been produced in response to a request made at the previous presentation. In views glimpsed back towards the site, the house would appear as a rambling, long, low composition, partially hidden by luxuriant planting, and completely integrated into its setting as opposed to dominating it, in fulfilment of the aims of Picturesque Theory.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 62 5.6 Ecology and Habitat Enhancement

Enzygo Ltd have undertaken a Phase I Habitat • Great Crested Newt small population (eDNA confirmed presence ENHANCEMENT PROPOSALS with 1 individual identified) in small pond within Orchard; Survey & Preliminary Ecological Appraisal of The client is fully committed in using this application as an opportunity the site, Bat Preliminary Roost Assessment & • Common Reptiles (no records) but suitable habitat around field edges to demonstrate a significant biodiversity net gain, through incorporation Emergence Surveys of buildings, and Barn Owl only, likely small numbers of common species only (i.e. few Viviparous of enhancements. This will consider national/ local planning policy, Lizard & Slow Worm); and local BAP targets, and ecological features/records on-site & within the Survey of buildings in 2017 with an update in surrounding area, and will include the following: 2018. Additionally, a Great Crested Newt Survey • SPI/Local BAP and Notable species (i.e. flora in hedges, Smooth Newt/Common Frogs etc), opportunities for species across site. • Creation of calcareous grassland / wildflower meadow to the south- was undertaken Spring 2017. west of the site (removal of topsoil), extend habitats similar to Seat Lane Large areas of the site (i.e. improved grassland) offer only limited Meadow LWS; Identified ecological features on-site (i.e. Statutory designated sites, opportunities for wildlife due to the current agricultural and land protected species/habitats, and notables) include the following: management practices employed. • New native hedgerow and woodland planting (with Hazel) and incorporation of other native tree/shrub planting throughout the • Seat Lane Meadow Local Wildlife Site (LWS) (Calcareous Grassland) landscape, which will extend habitat similar to Coney Wood LWS & & Coney Wood LWS (Woodland with tufa springs) immediately off-site to MITIGATION PROPOSALS improve Green Infrastructure connectivity across the site (commuting west; routes for bats/ badger etc); Where possible, the proposed application has been amended to retain • Native Hedgerows with Trees Habitat of Principal Importance; & avoid impacts to the ecological features as identified above, including • Extend orchard, with use of local apple/pear/plum cultivars; • Traditional Orchard Habitat of Principal Importance; to: Seat Lane Meadow LWS & Coney Wood LWS; Native Hedgerows • Incorporate a rockery/dry stone wall which will provide crevices for with Trees HPI (use of existing breaches only); Traditional Orchard HPI; • Bats. Brown Long-eared (1-2 bats) and Common Pipistrelle hibernating amphibians/reptiles & habitat for invertebrates etc; Badger; Dormouse; Birds (general nesting); Common Reptiles; and (maximum of 5 individuals) Summer Day Roosts identified within existing SPI/Local BAP and Notable species. The client is fully committed to • Incorporation of a large wildlife pond, to benefit amphibian and Bungalow to front of site, with small amount of feeding evidence of Brown providing an ecologically sensitive scheme that will demonstrate no loss invertebrate species etc; Long-eared and Lesser Horseshoe identified within open barns to back of of biodiversity and the maintenance of favourable conservation status of site (but no roosts); • Roosting features throughout new house, with use of traditional all protected species identified on-site. Where required, mitigation will building materials which will naturally create crevices & access to roof • Badger. 2x large setts (15 holes & 20 holes respectively, likely Main & include the following: spaces particularly as the building ages; Annex) identified on south-east & south-west boundary with associated • Bats – European Protected Species (EPS) Licence to be obtained from latrines, snuffle marks, and mammal runs recorded throughout site. • Provision of bird boxes/terraces (i.e. opportunities for Barn Swallow) Natural England. New specific bat roost/roof space to be created above Potentially smaller Outlying/single hole setts within hedgerows; throughout the new building and upon mature trees; new garage block & retained stone barn, and incorporation of a sensitive • Dormouse (no records) but optimal habitat conditions within lighting strategy (i.e. site largely unlit throughout outside, with no big • Incorporation of brash piles at the base of hedgerows to provide hedgerows with good connectivity to surrounding landscape and species glazed windows to avoid light spill from the interior); refuges/hibernacula for amphibians/reptiles & invertebrate species etc; likely present; and • Barn Owl – Creation of nest box on gable of retained stone barn & • Barn Owl. Temporary roost site in two of the barns to back of site, perch points throughout landscape (i.e. landing posts/branches); and • Management of habitats throughout site to be of continued benefit with historical nest site identified in large metal barn (numerous old to wildlife (i.e. traditional grazing of grasslands by pigs/long horn cattle, • Great Crested Newt – Retention of breeding pond and surrounding pellets), but no evidence of nest occupation during 2017 & 2018 season; provide foraging resource for bats & badger etc). terrestrial habitat. EPS Licence to be obtained from Natural England with • Birds (general nesting), hedgerows & field margins likely provide improvement of landscape to mitigate temporary loss/disturbance of small A management plan will be drawn up in accordance with current guidance suitable habitat for limited number of common species; extent of terrestrial habitats. (CIEEM, 2017 & BS42020:2013).

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 63 W i llo w F L a o r w m 1 e L 0 r B 4 F .6 a m rm F B S F h o 5.6 Ecology and Habitat Enhancemento g F r lia a tw n rm o a o H d o u S s h e o r tw C o o o t d ta g W e o r M k i s H lla ill rd H s

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D ra Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 in 64 5.6 Ecology and Habitat Enhancement

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The building as an ecological resource; the following features have been 4. Bat boxes and loft space above garage to ecologists specification for 7. Garden with nectar rich herbaceous perennials to attract insects and the incorporated within the building and its immediate surrounds: position, access , roost space and materials, away from predators and animals that eat the insects. external light sources. 1. Pond - provides habitat close to the building to support many species 8. Rockery providing habitat and crevices for amphibians, reptiles and of mammals, birds, amphibians, invertebrates and plants; nesting and 5. Swift, swallow and house martin nesting boxes and ledges under the mammals. feeding opportunities. eaves, over 5m above ground level, away from predators, shaded to avoid 9. Areas of shrubbery and trees creating habitat for invertibrates and birds. 2. Swimming pond - supplements the main pond with additional marginal over-heating and out of the prevailing wind. 10. Grazed meadow generating insects and therefore food for birds and zones. 6. Wall shrubs, climbers and trellis work to provide nesting, refuge and bats. 3. Barn owl loft above the garage - high and away from obstructions, out of food opportunities for birds and invertibrates. A house sparrow ‘terrace’ the prevailing wind and disturbance, overlooking open countryside. nesting site to be built into the walls.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 65 5.7 Domestic Curtilage

The domestic curtilage would embrace the forecourt to the house, garden terraces and swimming pond, garden store and games lawn, ornamental shrubberies and the lawns. The boundary would be defined by a stock fence, park railing to the lawns and hedge line to the east and south sides.

PROPOSED DOMESTIC CURTILAGE COLOURED RED

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 66 Design and Access Statement Conclusion VALLEY VIEW FARM, NEW COUNTRY HOUSE 6 6.0 Conclusion

HOW DOES THE PROJECT MEET THE to the public by permitting this house to be built, then the opposition lead flat at the core. It has been acknowledged by the Panel that the plan REQUIREMENTS OF NPPF PARAGRAPH to the concept would disappear. In that way, it “would help to raise works very well. standards of design more generally in rural areas”. 79(e)? The section is relatively straight forward. Floor levels at ground and first floor are constant throughout with constant ceiling heights, except in the The design is of exceptional quality, in that it: double height staircase hall where the ceiling is domed. The first floor 6.2 How Does the Scheme Reflect the Highest bedrooms are set partially within the slope of the roofs and are lit by bay - is truly outstanding or innovative, reflecting the highest standards windows in the gables and dormer windows at the eaves. in architecture, and would help to raise standards of design more Standards in Architecture? generally in rural areas; and The elevations follow naturally from the plan and section, as they are In attempting to answer this question, one is immediately confronted by supposed to do. There has been no necessity to distort the plan to suit - would significantly enhance its immediate setting, and be sensitive the question of what the highest standards in architecture are, for which the elevations. They have been proficiently handled in the manner of John to the defining characteristics of the local area. there is surely no simple answer. Nash’s picturesque cottages from careful study of the measured sketches The implication of the phrase is that the building should somehow be in George Repton’s published note books. 6.1 Is the Scheme Truly Outstanding or exquisite and worthy of emulation. It is easier to imagine a gem of a A sectional drawing indicates the character of the internal detail classical building falling into that category than anything more utilitarian. envisaged. It is intended that the interior should in no way be an anti- Innovative? There is almost certainly a difference between what the general public climax after the exterior and an examination of the architects’ work will perceive as high standards of architecture and what the architectural show their strength in designing interiors in historical styles. (It is indeed “Outstanding”: Collins Dictionary definition 1; superior, excellent, profession consider them to be. the reason they were appointed by the client). The proposed treatment and 2; prominent, remarkable or striking. At the outset, the whole subject of style should be put to one side. It is of the interior of the new house has been expanded upon in section 5.2a The scheme is outstanding in all the above senses of the word except not the business of the planning process to impose doctrinaire views on Interiors. prominent, in that it does not seek to draw attention to itself. the morality of employing historical styles in the 21st Century, as has been The construction will employ high quality masonry contractors and The combination of a finely designed house in an attractive setting established by the Traditional Architecture Group of the RIBA. All styles roofers and the joinery will be detailed to accommodate high levels enhanced by a thoughtfully designed landscape is a winning formula. can be handled well or they can be handled badly. of insulation without losing the details of the style. The provision and That the house has been conceived as a scholarly response to C18th Architects usually consider the plan first. At Valley View Farm, a butterfly distribution of services within the house has been thought through with landscape theory makes it highly unusual, if not unique; that it would plan has been adopted. Diagonal geometrical plans are notorious for the aid of the consultants and the build will be extremely low energy, be built of fine natural materials employing highly skilled craftsmanship their propensity to create awkwardly shaped rooms at the intersection in both construction and more particularly in running. Moreover, even suggests that it should be a Listed Building of the future. of the axes. In this case the problem has been overcome at ground floor the positioning of trees around the curtilage has been considered by the landscape architect to cast shade on those windows which might possibly The innovative aspect of the scheme is that a house designed in an level by applying the geometry rigorously with the result that most of the cause over-heating. historical style and of a traditional appearance can be constructed to rooms are interesting but not unworkable shapes. At first floor level, the odd shaped spaces adjacent to the core have reasonably been allocated be environmentally sensitive and close to carbon neutral, as has been And lastly – and most subjectively – the house will be beautiful. demonstrated, not by the use of experimental technologies but by the use to bathrooms and linen cupboards. The staircase hall is circular within an of tried and tested methods. An ‘eco-friendly’ house of the C21st need octagonal shell from which the four wings radiate. The plantroom is in the For all the above reasons, we consider that the design does indeed reflect not look outlandish or weirdly eccentric and if that can be demonstrated basement beneath the kitchen, adjacent to this hall, allowing the services the highest standards in architecture, a view endorsed by the Design to radiate economically into the wings. Despite the apparent complexity of Review Panel. the plan, it can be roofed remarkably simply with only a diagonal square of

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 68 6.0 Conclusion

6.3 How Does the Scheme Significantly Enhance projects, and in the restoration and extension of historic buildings in the maintained and grazed by picturesque cattle, representing an idealized locality. Similarly the internal and external joinery, and decorative plaster Constable-esque idyll. its Immediate Setting, and be Sensitive to the work proposed, are all of a type requiring traditional craftsmanship, Instead of an unattractive 1970’s bungalow perched above the public Defining Characteristics of the Local Area? and which will provide an opportunity for traditional skills to be honed. road, the new owner wishes to build a country house of a scale that in the The detailed design and sympathetic installation and integration of the early 20th century Country Life Magazine would have deemed “small” but The landscape surrounding Valley View is very attractive; in contrast, the green energy systems, and the chosen system of insulation, will require is in fact a comfortable home for a big family. It is to be sited on a part of farm landscape is plain comprising relatively uniform dull fields apart from a different set of skills which are directly applicable to contemporary the farm close to a surviving stone-built barn or stable, in a location where the woody fringes on the boundaries. The two groups of existing buildings architecture, whether built in traditional or modern styles. are a dilapidated mix of modest quality and usefulness. Removal of all the it will not intrude upon the wider landscape but from which the rooms will metal-clad modern farm buildings except the one to be retained will be As an exemplar representing the highest quality design, where have good views over the surrounding countryside. architecture, landscape and building technologies are integrated, the beneficial visually and in terms of landscape character. Re-use of the old It will be designed by a good architect in an historical style specifically project will demonstrate principles applicable to many other projects. stone barn will put it back in good order and to useful purpose. A superior developed for a picturesque setting. It will be built of local stone new house, fabricated from natural materials suited to the locality and and roofed in stone slates and its architectural details will draw upon embedded within a garden structure that ties it to the wider landscape, vernacular features found in local villages. In accord with the spirit of the will enhance the immediate setting. 6.5 Benefits Provided by the Proposed times, it will be extremely low-energy in its construction and running and Proposals to transform the farmland following principles of Picturesque Development will incorporate features to make it an attractive habitat for wildlife. Its design will create a rich and varied landscape to complement the character walls will be draped with ornamental climbers and its immediate gardens of the land around the farm. The proposed orchard, hedgerow, clumps The problem of uneconomic agricultural holdings such as Valley View will merge into the surrounding fields. Farm is a growing one. The fact that the agricultural tie was removed from of trees, woodland and meadows are all elements that feature in the land That solution, for Valley View Farm but almost certainly applicable the Valley View Farm bungalow some years ago is indicative of the fact that around and as such will seamlessly blend with the wider landscape and elsewhere, is a 21st Century Cottage Orné set in an idealized Picturesque a farmer cannot make a living on such a holding, even by diversifying into enhance any views over the farm from around. landscape. providing bed and breakfast accommodation and livery stables. The result is inevitably the degradation of the landscape with thistle-infested horse For all the reasons set out above, we believe this proposal meets the paddocks, barked trees, neglected hedges and ugly run-down utilitarian objectives and requirements of NPPF 79 (e). 6.4 How would our Scheme Help to Raise the buildings. Standards of Design More Generally in Rural Unless the holding is incorporated into a much larger farm to make an Areas? economically viable unit – which is unlikely given the financial value of the property – then the solution offered by the proposals for Valley View Farm The proposed new Valley View Farm is a house which combines elements is an attractive one. of local, traditional architecture with the most modern and innovative green technology. If constructed it will require a work force trained in Instead of the land being intensively worked in an ultimately hopeless many different disciplines, and will offer an opportunity for those wishing attempt to make the farm pay, the holding is relieved of that economic to learn new skills, or improve existing ones. The techniques used in the necessity by being purchased by an owner who makes his living elsewhere creation of the masonry shell will be directly transferable to local heritage and is in a position to create an ecologically rich landscape, well

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 69 6.0 Conclusion

As has been referred to throughout this document, the design proposals At the last review date, on 21 March 2019, the team and client were - have demonstrated that they are truly out-standing, reflecting the have been submitted on four occasions to the Design Review Panel. delighted to receive the wholehearted approbation of the Panel for the highest standards in architecture and, (subject to specific commitments After each submission, the design team has responded positively to fully developed scheme. In the subsequent report, the chairman wrote being made regarding disseminating learning outcomes), would help to the criticisms and constructive suggestions of the panel to develop the that: raise the standards of design more generally in rural areas. scheme as it now stands and the panel has acknowledged how fully its “The Panel considers that the design of the proposals has met the criteria - have demonstrated that they significantly enhance the immediate contributions have been adopted. set out in Paragraph 79(e) of the National Planning Policy Framework; that setting; and are sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area”. is to say the Panel feels that the proposals:- The further comments and suggestions which followed on in the report have been listed under Section 4.8, together with the responses of the design team.

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 70 6.0 Conclusion

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 71 Design and Access Statement Access Statement VALLEY VIEW FARM, NEW COUNTRY HOUSE 7 7.0 Access Statement

Transport to the site

As it is a private residence, issues of public transport are not entirely pertinent to Valley View Farm. Without the use of a private car, the only way to reach the village of Batcombe is by taxi, bicycle or foot. The closest railway station is at Bruton, the closest bus stop is at Upton Noble. The planned new house has ample parking for private cars with four garages plus additional guest parking spaces in the forecourt. Provision for electric charging points will be made within the garages. The driveway is to utilise the location of the existing entrance, which is advantageously sited on a bend giving good visibility in both directions. Visibility splays and turning radii at the junction with the public road will comply with the standards required by Somerset County Council. The surface of the private drive will be gravel, with resin bound gravel used for the forecourt circle in front of the house. From the forecourt there will be areas of Yorkstone paving creating a hard, stable surface to give level access to the front door and boot room door.

Internal access

In terms of accessibility there is provision for a disabled person to move about on the ground floor freely and there is adequate toilet provision. There are no unnecessary changes of level within the ground level. There is a WC available in the Cloak room immediately off the Vestibule inside the front door. Similarly, there is a WC adjacent to the Boot Room at the other end of the building

Valley View Farm, Batcombe | New Country House | January 2021 73