Demolition works planned at farm near Sunderland to make way for new self-build home
Plans for demolition works on part of a farm site to make way for a new “self-build” home have been submitted to council development bosses.
Sunderland City Council’s planning department has received an application for Holmeland Farm, off Stoneygate, in the city’s Copt Hill ward.
New plans are seeking permission to demolish three agricultural buildings on the site, described as “redundant” buildings in supporting planning documents, and to build a “single-storey, three-bedroom self-build dwelling” together with “associated parking and ancillary works.”
Details of the development are set out in a planning statement submitted to council officials, which notes the buildings earmarked for demolition have “no architectural or heritage merit”.
It was also noted that the site lies within the designated Green Belt and that the application had been “directly informed” by feedback from Sunderland City Council through a pre-application enquiry, which included advice around the proposed home remaining “single‐storey and respecting [the] existing massing and openness of the Green Belt”.
Submitted planning documents said the proposed self-build dwelling “would be a single-storey, sensitively designed building with a simple rural form and restrained material palette, including brick external walls and profiled metal roofing”.
The new home is planned in the “south eastern extent” of the site and would benefit from a garden and “garage and car port”, providing a “defined edge of development on Holmeland Farm’s southern boundary”, supporting planning documents state.
It was noted that “the siting of the dwelling has been carefully considered to respect the openness of the site” and that “its layout and scale have been developed to respond appropriately to the surrounding rural context while delivering a high-quality and sustainable self-build home”.
By “maintaining the established height and massing”, applicants said the proposal “minimises any impact on the character of the area and preserves the openness of the Green Belt”.
It was also noted that proposed plans show “four dedicated vehicle parking spaces provided within the garage and car port located to the north-west of the dwelling” and that an electric vehicle charging point would be provided for the proposed dwelling.
The planning statement adds: “The proposal would not result in unrestricted sprawl, encroachment into the countryside, or harm to the openness or permanence of the Green Belt.
“On the contrary, the development would deliver a visual improvement to the site through a more coherent form of development and a reduction in the cumulative built footprint.
“The design and material palette reflect the site’s agricultural context and ensure that the dwelling integrates appropriately within its rural surroundings.
“Where the proposal is considered inappropriate development in Green Belt terms, it has been demonstrated that the associated harm is very limited and is clearly outweighed by other material considerations.
“These include the delivery of a self-build dwelling, the realistic fallback position of conversion under Class Q permitted development rights, visual betterment to the site, and significantly improved sustainability credentials through the incorporation of photovoltaic panels, thermal insulation and an air source heat pump.
“Collectively, these considerations are sufficient to constitute very special circumstances in accordance with national and local planning policy.
“The proposal would not result in adverse impacts on residential amenity, highway safety, or environmental considerations and is consistent with the relevant policies of the National Planning Policy Framework and the Sunderland Core Strategy and Development Plan (2015–2033).
“Accordingly, it is considered that the development represents a sustainable and acceptable form of development, and planning permission should be granted.”
A decision on the new planning application for a single-storey self-build dwelling is expected later this year following a council consultation exercise.
For more information on the planning application, or to track its progress, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 26/00248/FUL