Grenaby House Planning Statement

GRENABY HOUSE (Formally Thie Vane)

Current Siuation

Grenaby House is a non-traditional house set within 1.5 acres of land situated on the South West corner of the A3 Foxdale Road where it joins the B41 Grenaby Road that has been extended on numerous occasions. It is of no architectural merit or in keeping with its location in the countryside.

The current owner purchased the property approximately 3 years ago. Planning approval to relocate the driveway and associated access point was granted in 2017, PA 17/00570/B refers, and planning approval to carry out extensive remodelling of the building was granted last year, PA 19/01178/B refers.

During the design and planning process we concluded that a new property constructed in a slightly better position on the site would be the correct solution in planning terms and would fulfil our clients' wish for a more innovative design and give them a sustainable, healthy lifestyle property for the long term.

Proposal

We have therefore produced a proposal replacing the current non-traditional house with a property befitting 21st-century living. Our proposal is for a modern design, reducing the overall height and designed to fulfil the requirements and advice given in Housing Policy 14.

The building and associated hard and soft landscaping have been sensitively designed to respond to the size of the site and its rural context.

A key priority of the project is to provide an eco-friendly home of the highest possible environmental standards to provide healthy living conditions in a sustainable manner where the building through its design and choice of materials blends seamlessly into the environment.

In true passive style, the elevation of the main house facing south contains large areas of glazing to make the most of solar gain, with smaller proportioned windows utilised on the north facing elevation to minimise heat loss. Whilst used to dramatic effect, the impact of the large windows reflecting the sky and surrounding countryside coupled with an extensive sedum roof line where its finished height is circa 2000mm lower than the ridge height of the current residence, and the incorporation of other natural materials such as granite and wood ensures the overall visual impact of the building on the street scene is one of positivity.

The main entrance side of the dwelling has been thoughtfully hard and soft landscaped to create a pleasant setting with visitor parking and pathway leading to an elegant main entrance where seating and raised planters where herb gardens accessed from within via slide-aside windows can be created combining practical health lifestyle sustainable growing with decorative landscaping that appeal to the senses.

Other landscaping opportunities include areas where native shrubs with nectar-rich flowers, seeds, nuts, and berries can be planted to support various forms of wildlife, within sheltered areas which are good for butterflies and provide good hunting grounds for predators seeking insects and other invertebrates.

An illuminated recess has been created as part of the main entrance proposals providing opportunity for stunning pieces of artwork to be sensitively displayed both internally and externally.

The south east of the site already has planning permission for a new driveway access to be created. – see adjacent photomontage. A variety of trees have already been planted along the Ballamodha Straight side of the previously approved driveway as the applicant is keen to create a wind break and provide some level of privacy from that direction at the earliest opportunity.

Above are images of the range of materials being proposed for the project. Great care will be taken to match the natural stone cladding to the granite used on the Ballamoda Straight and in the locality generally, with other materials and colours chosen to complement and create a natural look.

The choice of products, the presence of extensive trees and hedging, both existing and planned, ensures the visual impact of the development to those traversing Grenaby Road and Ballamodha Straight in the northerly direction will in time be less than the current situation, and moving the building southwards of the existing property means the Entrance Elevation will become less visible to traffic approaching from the Foxdale direction than the current situation.

In a few years this elegant house should be practically invisible, the predominantly glass elevation shimmering with reflections in the sunlight, while the remaining elevations blend quietly in to their surroundings.

Unlike the current building, we feel this new residence will provide a truly unique, sustainable, sensitive, innovative and long-lasting contribution to the built environment.

Energy Strategy

From an energy use point of view, a carbon neutral design concept is being followed to provide a healthy and comfortable internal environment to enable the project to be certified in due course.

To minimise energy requirements the principles of passivehaus development will be adopted where suitable. The main principles to be adopted may include:

• Increased levels of insulation
• Well insulated window frames and glazing utilising triple panes with double low e glazing
• Thermal bridge free design and construction
• Air tight envelope
• Primary windows on the most southerly aspect with solar shading to prevent over heating in summer
• Smaller windows on the most northerly aspect to minimise heat loss during the winter period
• Mechanical ventilation with high levels of heat recovery (MVHR) that utilises energy within the internal environment to heat/cool fresh air input to ensure a healthy environment is created
• Kitchen Utilities and Bathrooms aligned over each other on north side of site maximising heat recovery with minimal ducting
• Rainwater harvesting for sedum roof and living wall
• Close temperature control to be provided by electrically driven reverse cycling heat pumps that will create heating and/or cooling utilising air handling units positioned throughout the property to serve various rooms and areas requiring individual comfort control. The heat pumps and solar/photovoltaic cells that will also provide energy for hot water will be sited externally on the plant room roof concealed by upstands set in from the eaves to make them invisible other than from the air and where maintenance access is readily achieved via an openable rooflight.

Compliance With Planning Policy

The proposals comply with the principles of the Housing policy 14 as the changes in siting and size would result in an overall environmental improvement including:

• the living wall and sedum roofs provide an increased range of natural habitats,
• the extensive use of glass that will primarily reflect the sky and surrounding countryside coupled with natural materials like granite, sedum, living wall and wood will ensure the house blends better with its rural backdrop and indeed lessen the visual impact of the current situation.
• the relocation of the building away from boundaries ensures its visual impact on those traversing the main highways is lessened
• The replacement of an non-traditional building and its relatively high energy use with a low energy use building contributes positively to the global footprint of the island as a whole
• The use of resin bound gravel to the driveway provides a permeable finish
• With regard to the "Residential Design Guidance March 2019" we again fully comply with the general guidance in that and incorporated the guidance on individual dwellings and landscaping where appropriate i.e.
• Moving the house away from mature trees allows the trees to better flourish
• Boundary treatment associated with driveway entrance is in keeping with the extant situation (and previously approved)
• Whist the proposal is unashamedly modern; its large windows are part of a well-designed contemporary scheme of appropriate form and scale utilising materials responsive to the locality that tone with its rural setting.