Rose Acre
Location Mobberley, Cheshire
Client Private Client
Scope Alterations & Extensions
Status Approved
Planning Authority Cheshire East
Rose Acre is a former blacksmith’s cottage sitting on a generous plot in a Conservation Area. The front entrance, facing the lane, had fallen into disuse as the drive led to the rear of the house, to the kitchen door. The rear garden was terraced and enclosed by steep banks and retaining walls, while the garden at the side of the house was flat and extensive. Except for a dilapidated conservatory, there was no connection between the house and garden, the formal living rooms were at the front of the house, and a kitchen and breakfast area were squeezed into the rear.
The client had bought Rose Acre to enjoy the garden in retirement and entertain grandchildren. Our design included making the house more accessible in the long-term and replacing the conservatory with an open plan living space which opens directly onto the garden. The design includes a new formal entrance and rear hall, where guest cloakroom and boot room are available.
The extension has a traditional appearance at the front in keeping with the character of the cottage, with an oak frame and large areas of glazing at the rear. It is designed to screen the road noise from the rear garden, while the glazed openings allow visual connection with the gardens at the side. We also created a breakfast terrace in the nicest part of the garden to the east of the house.
The bedroom and bathrooms over the kitchen had a shallow pitched roof with restricted head height, which was leaking. Our first task was to obtain planning consent for a side extension in lieu of the conservatory, including alterations to the roof to improve the bedroom spaces.
We then used permitted development rights for extensions and garden outbuildings to create a fallback position which were accepted as very special circumstances by the case officer. So although the extension was larger than allowed under planning policy, the application was approved.
