moulshay farm sherfield of loddon

Moulshay FarmSherfield of Loddon

Design and Access Statement

January 2021

719 - MOULSHAY FARM, SHERFIELD-ON-LODDON - DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT

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Contents

1.01.1

5.1

6.1

1.2

5.2

6.2

5.3

6.3

2.0

4.03.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

IntroductionPurpose

Arrangement

Sustainability Statement

Site Location

Character & Context

Materials

Landscaping

Water Resources

Existing Site

Built ContextSite Photos & Buildings

Design Principles

Sustainability

Conclusion

p.3

p.4p.5

p.7p.6

p.8

p.11

p.12

p.9p.10


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Site Location: Moulshay Farm, Sherfield-on- Loddon, Hook, RG27 0HHSite Area: 4.5 acresApplicant: Private Client Architect: Morse Webb Architects

This Design and Access Statement has been produced by Morse Webb Architects to support a full planning application for the demolition and redevelopment of the site at Moulshay Farm. This report should be read together with the submitted drawings and specialist reports which are attached as part of the application.

The site consists of an existing farm cottage and associated small outbuildings in addition to a large agricultural barn, previously used to house agricultural machinery with a side extension used as the farm office. The main farmhouse is located just under 600m north of the site. The site benefits from a previously granted planning permission reference no. 20.01050/GPDADW for the proposed change of use from an agricultural building to 4no. Class C3 dwelling houses. The applicant instead wishes to remove the existing barn that in many respects dwarfs the cottage in both mass and footprint, replacing it with only 4no units still, however remodelled around a farmstead arrangement to be more sympathetic to the local context.

The site sits in open countryside but outside of any flood risk or critical drainage areas and is not within a conservation area. The existing barn and cottage are not listed, nor does it or the site lie within the curtilage of a listed building or monument.

1.1 PurposeThis Design and Access Statement (DAS) has been prepared to demonstrate the design principles and concepts that have been applied to the development application and how issues relating to access to the proposal have been dealt with.

The DAS also describes the context of the site and the way in which the design responds to and evolves from an understanding of setting, scale, massing, the relationship to surrounding development, access, and movement. The application is seeking permission for the demolition of the existing agricultural building and the construction of 4 new dwellings with associated gardens.

RED LINE INDICATES SITE BOUNDARY

1.0 Introduction


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1.2 Site Location

Sherfield-on-Loddon is a small village and civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, located only 3 miles north east of Basingstoke town centre. The village is relatively small with a population of just over 3000 people in the 2011 Census. Sherfield-on-Loddon is a clustered settlement, congregating around a village green, with small businesses and a public house. The site itself is situated 1 mile south of the main village, approached via a gravel and tarmac track accessed off Wildmoor Lane.

600m to the north of site lies The Loddon School, a residential school for special education needs. Independent and State schools, alongside nurseries are also located within close proximity. South of site, meandering around to the east lies the River Loddon, a tributary travelling north towards the River Thames. Bow Brook is another tributary that joins the River Loddon just north of the village. Surrounded by agricultural farmland and countryside, and with the North Hampshire Downs only a short drive to the south, Sherfield-on-Loddon is a picturesque English village.

Although rurally located, Sherfield-on-Loddon has exceptional road links with Junction 6 of the M3 Motorway located 3 miles to the south west providing fast road connections to London, Southampton, the West Country and Cardiff via the A33 and M4. Fast road access to Heathrow and Gatwick is via the M3 and M25. The main line station in Basingstoke (15min drive) offers similar east-west axis and southerly travel towards the coast, but also north via Reading station, with access to national and international rail services via the London Underground network. Basingstoke is the nearest major town located only a short car or bus journey away. Good transport links regularly run to Newbury (14 miles north west) and Reading (11 miles north east).

RED LINE INDICATES SITE BOUNDARY


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The site is accessed from the east via a tarmac track leading directly off Wildmoor Lane, a quiet country lane forming a U-shape off the A33 connecting Church End, Wildmoor and Sherfield Green. A secondary track was once also used located west of the site adjoining Wildmoor Lane adjacent to The Loddon School, however, has since overgrown and no longer used for vehicular traffic.

As previously noted, the site consists of a farm cottage, outbuildings, and a large agricultural barn, all on an east-west axis. This linear arrangement is seldom seen in this area of Hampshire with a farmstead, courtyard arrangement more commonly found. The existing farm cottage is to be retained with no alterations to the immediate building, however its presence adjacent to proposed development does impact the scheme regarding arrangement, orientation, and scale.

There is a considerable amount of hardstanding, principally concrete, around and adjacent to the main barn. Historically there was an equally sized barn to the west, though this has been dismantled leaving only the footings and structural base visible. The design proposes to remove a significant amount of this hardstanding with any replacement being of a material more sympathetic to the locality and context.

The site is relatively level, though starts to gradually slope south of the site down into the River Loddon valley. This topography allows the site to benefit wide vistas across the countryside to the south east.

There are numerous footpaths and bridleways that form a pattern of intersecting pathways around the site, though again, mature tree lines and hedgerows predominantly screen the proposal on site. Views from the footpath to the south are also truncated due to the sloping topography in this direction. No footpaths cross through site.

EXISTING SITE PLAN

2.0 Existing Site


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AERIAL VIEW EXISTING FARM COTTAGE AND TIMBER OUTBUILDING EXISTING FARM COTTAGE ARRANGEMENT TO BARN

EXISTING BARN LOOKING EAST ALONG UNUSED ACCESS ROADEXISTING BARN LOOKING EAST

DISMANTLED BARNEXISTING BARN INTERIOREXISTING BARN LOOKING NORTH WEST

EXISTING CONTAINER AND STORAGE YARD

3.0 Site Photos & BuildingsThe existing barn construction consists of a primary precast concrete portal frame with blockwork plinth up to circa. 2m in height and corrugated fibre cladding above. The roof is a shallow pitch, also clad in corrugated fibre sheeting. Although of sound construction, the barn requires considerable work to improve its aesthetics. With a footprint of circa. 650m2 and a ridge height of over 7m, regardless of superficial aesthetic improvements, the barn’s size will always dominate the site, overbearing and overpower the existing farm cottage.

Although the existing barn is suitable for conversion, resulting from the site’s locality, independent properties with their own front and rear amenity space is far more attractive both from an end user’s perspective, but also that of the existing property and any distance glimpses of the site. Further, individual properties are far more reflective of the local context over that of a domineering single entity.

The historic barn to the west (still visible on OS maps) was circa. 550m2 in footprint and assumed to be of a similar height, though of timber construction hence its deterioration and being dismantled.

The farm cottage to the south is a 2.5 storey building with rooms located in the roof. It is of traditional construction, red/orange masonry brick walls with single camber clay tiled roof. The cottage has several associated outbuildings ranging from brick construction with metal roof to timber framed buildings with waney edge timber cladding and clay tiled roofs.


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4.0 Built ContextThe surrounding context comprises of mainly large, detached properties interspersed with smaller semi-detached cottages. The properties are traditional in construction method and materiality, with masonry being red/orange Hampshire stock brick, and roofs being clay or slate tiles. Farmsteads of a similar ilk typically have a brick house with timber framed and timber clad barns, orientated around a courtyard arrangement.

MILL LANE - COTTAGE & TIMBER CLAD OUTBUILDING BRAMLEY ROAD - TERRACED ‘WORKERS’ COTTAGES MILL LANE - TIMBER CLADDING & BRICK BASE

BULLSDOWN FARM - BARN CONVERSIONBULLSDOWN FARM - BRICK COTTAGE & BARN CONVERSION THE LONGBRIDGE MILL - TIMBER FRAME & TIMBER CLADDING


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5.1 Arrangement The proposal scheme disbands the singular large entity monopolising the site and replaces with a cluster of properties more homogenous to the rural context. The proposed arrangement makes reference to local hamlets and farmsteads, whereby a cluster of buildings are focussed around a central courtyard, traditionally providing easy manoeuvrability between farmhouse, barns, and agricultural land beyond. As previously noted, the proposed arrangement heavily incorporates the existing farm cottage, no longer segregating the property from the site rather integrating it within the wider plan. The scheme also proposes 2, semi-detached properties adjacent to the entrance drive suggestive of the former worker’s cottages to the estate/farm.

ANALYSIS OF EXISTING SITE

5.0 Design Principles

Existing barn footprint

Existing stables outbuilding

Existing Moulshay Farm cottage

Existing container footprint

Existing hardstanding

Access drive

Existing outbuilding built form belt


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5.2 Character and ContextThe proposed scheme has been designed to be sympathetic to the local character, paying homage to the agricultural settlements scattered around this area of Hampshire. The proposed detached barns will be constructed from green oak timber frame, designed with traditional details such as coach entrance gables and exposed rafter feet. The barns will also be clad in timber to soften the overall appearance and again reference similar agricultural barn conversions. Hampshire stock brick plinths will be introduced to provide a stable footing. The worker’s cottages will be modest in size and built in Hampshire stock brick. Arched heads will be introduced alongside tile hanging to the front gables. All 4 units will be roofed with single camber clay tiles.

The proposed barns have been designed with low eaves height to firstly reduce the overall mass, bulk, and scale of the dwellings, but also to emphasise their desired ‘barn’ aesthetics over that of a contemporary timber frame.

PROPOSED SITE ANALYSIS DIAGRAM

Proposed farmstead courtyard

Proposed build form

Rear gardens

Rear gardens

Existing outbuilding built form belt creating semi-private front elevation to existing farm cottage


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5.3 LandscapingThe existing site is predominantly hard standing with irregularly maintained shrubland to the north. The open field to the west will be retained. Post and rail fencing with hedges have been proposed to separate properties from one another to private privacy. This proposal allows for garden space to blend into countryside with no visual obstruction for the occupants of those from afar.

The internal courtyard has been designed to enable refuse collection with adequate turning facilities alongside enough parking to comply with planning requirements. Soft landscaping has been proposed to cover a large percentage of the courtyard, where concrete hard standing currently resides, to soften the external appearance of the development.

PROPOSED SITE ANALYSIS DIAGRAM

Sun path

Vistas

Distant views across site retained

Partially truncated views across site from boundary

treatment


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6.1 Sustainability StatementThe first step in reducing the energy consumption and environmental impact of the new buildings is to consider the building fabric itself. High levels of insulation minimise the flow of heat to and from the inside. Air tightness should be considered to ensure that a minimum of heat is lost through the fabric of the building. Finally the ventilation strategy is key to ensure comfortable conditions for the occupants without any unnecessary requirement for cooling or additional heating. The proposed dwelling will achieve a high degree of sustainability with the intention to achieve a Building Regulations pass. This will be achieved with the use of:• High levels of thermal insulation• Rainwater harvesting to include storage vessels• Air source and/or ground source heat pump where

required• Appropriate layouts within the dwelling• Adherence to the Accredited Construction Details to

ensure maximum air-tightness

6.2 MaterialsWhere possible materials will be sourced locally and/or selected from the Green Specification Guide. Timber will ideally be sourced responsibly from forests that are sustainably managed and felled from a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified source.

6.3 Water ResourcesWhere possible permeable hard landscaping surfaces will be used to enable surface water to percolate naturally into the watercourse. Elsewhere, surfaces will be drained to an appropriate soakaway on site (with interceptors if required).

It is also incumbent upon a scheme with good sustainable credentials to limit the consumption of water within the dwellings. To this end fittings will typically be specified to meet Part G of the Building Regulations and/or the Code for Sustainable Homes level 3 standard for items as follows:• Flow restrictors & aeration taps• Low-flow, aerated showers• Dual-flush WCs• Low-volume baths

PROPOSED SITE PLAN

6.0 Sustainability


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The location and character of this site has presented the applicant and design team with numerous and very specific challenges. It is hoped that in completing a comprehensive analysis of the site the proposal has evolved successfully in response to the influence of these conditions.

Equally, and in response to the local context and site requirements, it is hoped that the proposal appropriately addresses the setting out of the site within the local area, providing a design that sympathetically responds to the local buildings as well as minimising the impact on neighbouring properties along Wildmoor Lane.

The design is fundamentally traditional in style, with the proposed barns being of a barn conversion aesthetic, to sympathetically draw reference from the historical richness of north Hampshire. By providing a relatively soft, low visually impacting design, the proposal is low key and harmonious with the local context. Influences taken from the local context are to enhance the character and design of the properties, creating ties to the local area and perpetuating the variety and quality of housing within this part of Hampshire.

7.0 Conclusion

UNIT 1 & 2 FRONT ELEVATION UNIT 3 FRONT ELEVATION

UNIT 1 & 2 REAR ELEVATION UNIT 4 FRONT ELEVATION

moulshay farm sherfield of loddon

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