Moseyley Barn, Ashbourne

The brief

The route here was Class Q permitted development, which is not full planning permission but does still need prior approval, so the path to a yes is its own kind of work. The client wanted a luxury dwelling, and there was a clock running: the 300m² limit that governs these conversions was set to change, so we needed to move quickly to make the most of the rules as they stood. Before drawing anything, we spent time understanding how the client wanted to live day to day, and that lifestyle is what shaped the plans rather than a layout imposed from the outside.

Key challenges & interesting design decisions

The barn's own form became the starting point for the design. Rather than work against it, we let the original shape lead, opening up a glass frontage that brings light deep into the home and connects the internal spaces with each other and out into the garden. The idea was for inside and outside to read as one, with the rooms flowing together rather than sitting as separate boxes.

There was also the rest of the site to consider. Approval was already in place for brick barns at the rear, so every decision had to weigh its effect on those, making sure the new dwelling sat comfortably alongside what was already consented rather than competing with it. With the regulation change looming, getting the prior approval secured in good time mattered as much as the design itself.