"NickW" wrote in message
om...
I have a 2 acre plot in rural Suffolk. We do not live within the
village development boundary. The planning office has already
informally said they would not recommend permission for a new house.

However, I might still give it a bash... but I need an angle.

Here are some plus points:

* Part of my back garden is already fenced off and has been for years
- it looks like another plot.

* It has seperate access via a track which is well established.
Although the track crosses the village green, vehicles *are* permitted
along it because it's also used by another cottage.

* There are two unsightly delapidated barns (steel/asbestos) which the
house would replace

* If the house was a bungalow, it would probably not be visible from
the road.

* I have plans for an eco friendly house using solar water heating,
passive solar space heating with thermal storage, wood burning stoves,
eco friendly building materials and maybe some photovoltaic panels
etc.

* There is plenty of room for more than just one extra house, I could
offer a plot to put a couple of low-cost houses on, sold to the
council at cost.

What do you think my chances are?

Nick

It depends on the council, of course, but it's quite likely that they
won't want to deviate from the local plan so if you want to develop
outside the designated envelope you will probably have quite a fight on
your hands. It also depends on whether they have identified sufficient
development sites to cover the predicted new housing requirements of the
area - if so you could also be in trouble.

One of the reasons that they can deviate from the plan is if there is a
lack of affordable housing for local residents in the area. Your
low-cost housing is a good bit of planning gain but I doubt that the
council will want to own them - have a word with a local housing
association instead.

An eco house was built near where my parents live - it's almost
completely burried in the ground. I think the original application was
rejected by the city council but it was granted planning permission on
appeal to Prezza - the eco credentials plus the minimal impact on the
vicinty (it is barely visible) made the case.

Neil