The Retreat
The Retreat
A new dwelling set in rural England
Scheme
4 bed family home with generous living accommodation
Location
Chilterns AONB
The Retreat is a new family dwelling along Newground Road in Aldbury. The site lies to the south of Aldbury village. In planning terms, it is defined as being located just outside a ‘small village in the rural area.’ The site lies within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; however, it does not form part of the conservation area. The site is part of the old Hospital for Infectious Diseases, which was built for the Berkhamsted Rural Sanitary Authority in 1879. The site was deliberately remote from other villages and dwellings in an attempt to limit the spread of infectious diseases from the patients who were treated here.
Planning permission was granted in October 2016 and then again for a revised design in February 2017 for a replacement house on the plot. A further application was submitted in January 2019 when our client purchased the property, so that they could design the house to better suit their family’s needs.
The new family home features four bedrooms with dormer windows set into the roof and has a family bathroom and en suite on the same floor. The ground floor provides accommodation for a large kitchen diner, living room, reception room, utility and ground floor toilet.
The revised proposal has been designed to match the appearance of ‘The Cottage’ and other surrounding properties in the enclave. The materials are as proposed and approved in the previous application. The primary facing material is to be a yellow stock brick with red feature banding. In terms of detailing, the proposal is to match ‘The Cottage’ with stone sills and arches over doors and windows. The main roof and the upper part of the gable ends will have plain clay tile hanging to match the gable detail of the surrounding houses. The roof tiles will feature ridge tiles and finials matching ‘The Cottage’. Windows will be white painted timber sash with glazing bars to match the adjacent property.
