Architectural Designers in Fernhurst

In Fernhurst, good design starts with the village's own plan.

Most people want two things: a house designed properly, and permission to build it. Alchemy House of Design are Architectural, Interior and Landscape Designers, and we have designed and gained planning for homes for 26 years. Fernhurst is a short drive from our studio at 72a High Street, Haslemere. We can take a project the whole way, or just part of it: measured survey, design, planning application, building regulations drawings and construction management.

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Who decides planning applications in Fernhurst?

Fernhurst sits inside the South Downs National Park, and the National Park Authority is the planning authority for the parish. In practice most applications are handled by Chichester District Council on the Authority's behalf. Our own Fernhurst new build went exactly that way: handled by the district council for the National Park, refused, then allowed by a Planning Inspector on appeal.

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What does the Fernhurst Neighbourhood Plan require?

Fernhurst has its own neighbourhood plan, made on 14 April 2016 and covering 2013 to 2028. It is part of the development plan, so it carries real weight alongside the South Downs Local Plan. It draws a settlement boundary tightly around the village, with a strong presumption against development outside it. It asks that new design respects the local vernacular, and names the typical local materials as sandstone, red brick and clay tiles.

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Do you need planning permission for an extension in Fernhurst?

Often, yes. Because Fernhurst is inside a National Park, householder permitted development rights are tighter than in most places. Side extensions, rear extensions of more than one storey, roof extensions and cladding all need planning permission here, so check before planning around a permitted development extension.

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How do dark-sky and light pollution rules affect your design?

New development has to show how it has minimised light pollution. The parish council takes this seriously: on one of our schemes it asked for light pipes in place of rooflights. With the National Park's dark-sky policy on top (the South Downs has been an International Dark Sky Reserve since 2016), glazing and outside lighting need thinking about from the first sketch.

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What if your home is in a conservation area or listed?

The parish has two conservation areas, one in Fernhurst village and one in Kingsley Green, and the plan records 44 listed buildings, most of them in the village. Inside a conservation area some permitted development rights are reduced, and a listed home needs listed building consent as well as planning permission.

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What happens if planning permission is refused?

Our Fernhurst new build was refused in 2020 as too cramped for its plot. We worked on the case alongside the appeal team and refined the design, and in June 2021 a Planning Inspector allowed the appeal, finding that the house would not be cramped and would preserve the natural beauty of the National Park. It is now built.

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