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Additional information to support the planning application for a barn conversion at:
The Barn, Field 1837, Corvalley Farm, Howe Road, The Howe
The current approval for conversion of the barn to a dwelling (PA02/00456/B) has been extended until October 2007. The approved scheme provides for a single storey extension to the north west gable of the barn. A proposed porch to the north east elevation of the barn was refused.
The applicant has now had an opportunity to review the scheme, and accordingly we have submitted this new proposal which retains the character of the barn but incorporates an additional extension with an improved internal layout. Due to the exposed location of the barn, it is felt that some form of porch is essential and so, following discussion with the Conservation Officer and Planning Officer, we have proposed a solution that we believe overcomes previous misgivings and is based on a modern interpretation of a traditional Manx porch.
The main design elements are :-
Gable extension. The existing approval allows for the removal of a stone ramp to the north west gable (Photograph 1) and replacement with a single storey extension. The new application repositions the extension onto the opposite gable to replace an existing concrete structure (Photograph 2) which allows the existing stone ramp to be retained. This will mean that the main view of the barn travelling up Howe Road will be relatively unchanged.
Rear extension. An additional kitchen extension is proposed to the rear of the property, which results in a more practical internal layout with rooms accessed from a central hallway rather than the previous linear arrangement. The proposed extension can not be seen from the front elevation, and is hidden from the road on the south east and south west (rear) elevations by existing houses and the topography of the land (Photograph 3)
As the rear extension is not generally visible the opportunity has been taken to provide larger areas of glazing to maximise views and provide a lighter feel to the structure in comparison to the solid appearance of the stone barn. However the proposed materials will still be sympathetic to the barn i.e. stone, hardwood and natural slate.
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Doors and windows. The existing window and doors openings on the front elevation (Photograph 4) have been retained, with one modification to a window to form the new entrance door.
New windows and doors will be constructed in hardwood with a natural teak oil finish. The timber sections of the window frames will be detailed to be wider in appearance than traditional domestic windows and therefore be more appropriate to the robust nature of this agricultural building. Details of the windows can be submitted to the planning department for approval prior to their manufacture if required.
Storm Porch. The proposal for the porch is based on a Manx flat arched porch. Traditionally this would have been two simple stone side walls with a stone slab as a roof, as illustrated in the attached extract from Planning Circular 3/91 'The guide to design of residential development in the countryside'
The proposed storm porch is a modern interpretation using hardwood cladding fixed to an independent framed structure. The use of timber would reflect typical outbuildings and stables associated with agricultural building, however in this case the storm porch would be of a high standard of design and finely detailed. We believe that the use of hardwood for the storm porch, doors and windows will provide a 'richness' that will contrast with, but be sympathetic to, the grey stone of the barn. Again, details can be submitted to the planning department for approval prior to manufacture if required.
The porch is intended to provide shelter from the elements but does not need to be water tight and so does not have to be physically attached to the barn with lead flashings cut into the stonework etc. This means that if the porch were ever removed it would leave the fabric of the barn untouched.
The revised scheme has been presented to the Planning Officer and Conservation Officer prior to submitting this application. Following on from their comments the design was then modified slightly. This included reducing the size of the rear extension and eliminating a 'cat slide' roof. The extension roof is now at a lower level so that the barn reads as a separate element.
The Conservation Officer had no objections to the proposed storm porch. We believe the proposal is very much in line with conservation policy that applies to registered buildings, where a modern approach is acceptable for new elements or extensions as long as they are sympathetic to the building and have minimum impact on the structure. This maintains a clear distinction between the new work and the original historical context of the building.
Samson Designs 20th June 2007
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