Following a positive pre-application process, we’ve now submitted a full planning application for Rose Farm – a regenerative scheme to replace a group of redundant farm buildings on the edge of Westhay with two low-energy homes.
The project proposes a contemporary reimagining of the traditional farmstead, with new buildings arranged around a shared courtyard and immersed in a rich, productive landscape. Designed to Passivhaus principles, the homes are supported by a site-wide strategy for ecological restoration – including new wildlife habitats, orchard planting, rain gardens, and green roofs.
The architecture takes cues from the memory of the original barns, using simple rural forms and a natural material palette of larch, stone and zinc. Each home is tailored to its site: one wraps around a central rain garden, while the other recalls the barrel-vaulted structures found locally.
Across the site, existing hardstanding is broken up and reused, replaced by permeable surfaces and species-rich planting. A wildlife pond is reinstated, public footpaths re-routed with the support of neighbouring landowners, and lighting designed to protect the area’s dark skies.
At its heart, this is a project about landscape repair – a regenerative approach that aims not just to reduce impact, but to restore and enhance the ecological and architectural character of this rural place.
