While phase 1 was being completed we had been thinking a lot about our design for the extending of the mill and were getting increasingly concerned about the amount of space we had to squeeze the 'plant' in that we needed. This included the consumer unit, solar hook up, hot water and heating cylinder system, mains boost tank and pump, water softener, underfloor heating manifold and pumps and the washing machine and dryer. This concern had been growing since we installed the same for the barn project and this had made us realise how much space it all occupied. Additionally, we now had two dogs and when they came in from the garden in winter covered in mud we didn’t want them to make the entire house dirty. To this end we decided to pursue an amendment to the design (and the planning permission) to add on a single storey utility building that would house a larger plant room and a cloak/dog wash room with a door directly to outside.
I drew up some schematics in Photoshop (that well know CAD package ha ha) and had the planning consultant draw these up properly before we submitted them in March 2022 as an amendment to our planning permission that we had acquired in early 2020.
The main changes from the previous proposal were:
New 5m x 3.5m single storey utility building on the south elevation of the property to house cloakroom and larger plant room as well as a door to outside patio area.
Downstairs WC and plant room layout altered to generate a larger hallway and access to the new utility building.
Upstairs windows for landing and bedroom 2 moved and narrowed slightly to accommodate the new pitched roof of the utility building.
Downstairs WC window moved to accommodate new layout
Details of original planning proposal (for which we had already acquired permission).
Details of the revised design incorporating the new utility building and the downstairs hallway reworking.
Both the planning and conservation departments were massively busy so they immediately explained that they would need to extend their decision deadline by a month or so which we agreed to. When this happened a second time we obviously agreed again, but were concerned that we were nearly ready to start and one of the first things would be the footings for this completely new part of the building so without the permission granted we were a bit stuck. Now no planning department in the country is going to tell us 'off the record' that they were likely to grant permission, but when I explained our urgent need to start to the planning office in Kings Lynn I was given the message that we could dig the footings and always fill them in if permission was refused. I took that to mean we would be ‘given the nod’ and decided to stop worrying.
Comentários