What do you imagine when you think of Moorland homes? A picturesque cottage, a Victorian farmhouse or something else. We all imagine a beautiful building framed by the rolling hills of the Pennines, especially here in Lancashire.
Our design team at HDP (Hawthorn Design Partnership) are no different; they strive to bring beauty back to an “abject eye-sore”.
This is precisely what they have done with a redundant building at Longshaw Head Farm in Edgworth. With skill and knowledge, HDP has achieved that aspiration.
Richard Gee from Roman Summer Associates, who works alongside HDP, and submitted the application, spoke at the Blackburn with Darwen Planning Committee meeting on Thursday, the 13th of July, 2023: He noted –
“This barn is an abject eye-sore. It’s horrible. This will be a significant improvement. It is an excellent design.”
The application site is located approximately one-mile northeast of Edgworth village, within a small group of homes and buildings associated with Longshaw Head Farm. The location and immediate surroundings are within open moorland designated as green belt.
Along with the building plan, a complete landscaping detail was provided, which seeks to utilise native upland species and provide for a natural approach.
Currently unsightly, the building is located adjacent to three public rights-of-way, which is open to public view despite its remote location.
Seeking to provide a contemporary conversion the proposal, and the design represent a significant improvement upon the current appearance of the building and thus offer improvements to the character and appearance of the immediate setting.
The current Pennine village barn has been branded an “abject eye-sore” and given the go-ahead to be redeveloped as two luxury moorland homes.
This proposal was praised by councillors as ‘an excellent design’ and ‘exemplary’ as Blackburn with Darwen Council planning committee approved the scheme.
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Councillor Jacqui Slater said:
“This is a very careful conversion with an excellent design. It is an excellent proposal for the conversion of an existing dilapidated barn.”
Committee chairman Councillor Dave Smith said:
“This is an exemplary design for a barn conversion.”
We are proud of our team, working in collaboration with our client, Lee Buckley, as well as Booth King Partnership, Square Yard and Ecology Services, from the starting point to the approval of this application. Ensuring our countryside is getting the TLC it needs, and helping to restore the moorland beauty, that everyone can enjoy is a tremendous honour.
