Couple's plan for eco-friendly new home with wildflower roof in rural Derbyshire is scuppered by council

Mr and Mrs Lawrence applied to North East Derbyshire District Council for permission to erect a single storey, custom-build home and demolish and rebuild the Old Coach House at Marsh Green Lane, Ashover to provide incidental garage/workshop with studio above. The couple, who live at Brookfield Park, Mill Lane, Old Tupton, also wanted to refurbish the existing workshop at the site for use as a cycle store.

Their plan was to sink the two-bedroom house with a wildflower planted flat roof into the site behind a waist-high wall so the building would blend in with the surrounding fields. The proposals included high levels of insulation, triple glazed windows, large glazing to the southern elevation to maximise solar gains and Mechanical Heat Installation Recovery to supply a constant supply of fresh air.

The Lawrences wanted to provide ancillary accommodation and garage parking space by rebuilding the Old Coach House to include solar panels on the roof after demolishing the existing building which is in a state of disrepair and has a large structural crack in mutliple locations around it.

Vikki Hadfield of The Barley Close, Butts Road, Ashover wrote in support of their application: “It is rare nowadays to see so much effort go into a new-build design and with so many eco-friendly measures it is something we should all be proud of and support in my opinion.”

However, planning permission was refused for several reasons including that the form, character and appearance of the development would impact harmfully on the character and appearance of the area and the landscape and that the design of the dwelling is not considered to be high quality. Extensive external lighting and a large amount of glazing in the south facing elevation would be lit up at night and was considered to be contrary to the Neighbourhood Plan policy. The submitted bat surveys did not confirm that removal of a tree would not harm bats or their habit. Protected trees on the western bundary of the site were at risk of felling due to their proximity to the proposed dwelling and the impact they would have on the house from shading, risk to property and health, and leaf litter.