It is refreshing to be both the recipient of two good planning outcomes, to receive a glowing testimonial and new instruction all in one week. The site meeting with planners and discussions with conservation officers paid off! We have been appointed as architects for the project management of a project that starts on-site in the New Year. On another unrelated note, our associate property inspector Adrienne Ridler-Lee has submitted her Master’s dissertation which means she can now practice in her own right as The Estate Office Heritage Consultancy. A good end to a productive year. We wish all our clients, […]
Yearly archives: 2021
49 posts
This week has been a mixed bag, the highs include some very good outcomes at planning and some very long and drawn out delays to other projects including granting extensions of time for projects that are well past their decision dates. Best yet is a very keen Parish Council that meets at 9am on a Saturday morning in December. I am always pleased to be invited and attend these local government meetings since this is a fantastic opportunity to promote sustainable development and to take away any constructive criticism. The planning system, as one of our clients, so succinctly put […]
Stapley is close to the Somerset/Devon border, within the Blackdown Hills, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I grew up in the area and only just discovered this rural village on Thursday and hope to be able to help some new clients achieve their dream home. What has become the constant in the Practice is the need to extend a kitchen (the heart of the home) into a family room that can accommodate many generations of one family for celebrations and festivals. It is not unusual to be given a brief which includes ‘must be able to seat 22 […]
Another two applications for listed building consent approved by Dorset and East Devon for alterations to listed buildings, one retrospective and the other for the insertion of a wood-burning stove, raising a chimney and replacing all the modern C20 windows with double glazing on the roadside. There has always been a very different approach to alterations depending on each local authority. Some councils object to even raising the chimney to an existing wood-burning stove (to make it compliant for insurance and Building Regs purposes) and others are so consistently helpful it is hard to believe that we are all playing […]