Bearswood Farm.

Berrys were approached by our client to remodel and renovate a dilapidated farmhouse, as well as extending it by rebuilding an adjacent derelict barn to form a large, modern and spacious home. Located in the attractive setting of the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

How We Approached The Project

Having already achieved a consent for the client to redevelop a nearby farm into a base for a mental health charity, our client asked us to look at the options to redevelop an additional dilapidated property into a high-end residential dwelling.

The existing property had been occupied until 2013 but was in a poor condition and went into further dilapidation. Our client acquired the property and wanted to achieve the best value from it by bringing the existing dwelling up to modern standards, whilst also providing an enhancement to the property with an extension. Maximising views and creating high end living accommodation was key.

How We Achieved The Project

The property is set on a hillside adjacent to a Grade II listed building, within the Malvern Hills AONB. Given the sensitive nature of the site, our team of planners and architects initially engaged with the local planning authority as part of a detailed pre-application enquiry. These discussions covered the principle of creating a large extension on the site of a former agricultural building, and included early engagement with the conservation and landscape departments to gain input on the design and materiality.

Whilst the new extension was on the site of a historic agricultural building, only a gable end of the barn remained, with the proposal going beyond the original footprint of the building.

Our planning and architectural team presented plans to the Council as part of the pre-application enquiry which were sensitive in their scale and design, yet still containing contemporary features. The pre-application enquiry established that the remodelling and extension was appropriate and presented in a sensitive way, with just some minor adjustments to the exterior of the proposed building required.

The final design makes best use of the existing property, whilst creating a new extension which both reflects the history of the building, including contemporary elements and telling a story of the building’s evolution.

We were delighted to secure planning permission for this unique property and look forward to seeing the project develop into its next phase.