Overview of the proposal

The RIBA are promoting a competition to design a very large house ('mansion' is not inappropriate), in a very beautiful valley in Bagpath, Gloucestershire. The area is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which affords it some protection against development. What makes the valley rather special is that there has been no development in it for a few hundred years and there is no road through it.

The sponsors' proposals contained in their brief has been circulated to all the local residents and have met with overwhelming, if not unanimous, rejection.

The location of the proposed site is around where the large figures 93 appear towards the bottom of the OS map which can be viewed by clicking here. It is proposed that access should be from the lane which terminates to the East.

The land which it is proposed to develop was part of Scrubbetts Farm, which had been farmed by the Sages since 1934, until the sponsors of the scheme acquired part when it was sold in 1999. It is best illustrated by viewing the promotional web pages of the developer. The web site includes a number of aerial photographs showing both the site and surrounding areas.
(Please note that these pages are temporarily unavailable 7-06-2002)

The structure plan for the area refers to the lane giving access to the proposed site as 'narrow and in places tortuous'. What should also be appreciated is that it is a single track lane about three miles long and a dead end. There is only one way in and one way out of the hamlet. The recent sale of Scrubbets Farm to several different farmers has already resulted in a huge increase in traffic. Local people believe that when the house is completed the additional traffic from the owners (5) and their extended family/guests ('more usually 8 - 10' according to the sponsor' brief) and the staff (groom, gardener etc.) together with the associated delivery vehicles casual visitors etc. will be unacceptable. Getting in and out of the hamlet during the construction phase which is likely to last several years will be impossible.

Generally speaking an application from Jo Bloggs to build a house here would not stand an earthly in the planning consent hurdles. The sponsors are pinning their bets on a clause in the planning guidelines which might allow consent if "it is clearly of the highest quality, is truly outstanding in terms of its architecture and landscape design, and would signifcantly enhance its immediate setting and wider surroundings ....". Not much chance for the average semi then!

The sponsors have wrapped their proposals up in a Royal Institute of British Architects competition. It has been suggested that this is to:-

a) have the drawings for presentation to the planning authority completed for the cost of the competition prize money.

b) submit the plans to the planning authority with the apparent endorsement of both the RIBA and a prestigious panel of judges (see towards the end of CountryHouse.co.uk/brief web page).

The first suggestion should not be discarded out of hand.

If the true intention were not to build here at all (it is not suggested that this is the case - it may simply be worth exploring various scenarios) but to obtain planning consent for a large mansion and then sell the land, then more than a few bob would have been made. It is understood on good authority that the land was purchased at agricultural rates.

This would explain why the sponsor' brief to the competing architects, rather surprisingly, states that "no cost of construction budget has been set".

And if the sponsors consider this a risky speculation, which they have reportedly suggested, then it would be better to minimise the risk by minimising the outlay. If the proposal does not gain consent the land can be sold at more or less the original price. If local people have correctly counted the number of different visiting architects firms then around £2000-£2500 income to offset other costs has been generated from the sale of the competition brief etc.

If this is the plan then they are not the first to join the 'ruin-our-heritage-by-building-as-many-big-houses-in-the-unspoilt-countryside-before-they-change-the-regulations race .....

Chedworth Gloucestershire - Planning Authority - also Cotswold District Council. Consent for construction of a mansion house together with garaging, flat ...... glorious position with views across the valley .... detailed consent .... 8 bedrooms .... 16.6 acres. (sound familiar ??) ... now up for sale as a development site ... unbuilt .... price on application.

..... and few will doubt that having the proposal apparently endorsed by the panel of judges and the RIBA may influence the planning authority in making its judgement.

The object of this web site is to draw public attention to the proposals in order to obtain the widest possible discussion.
It is intended that these pages will be updated as the scheme progresses. If you would like your observations considered for inclusion see 'how to contact us'.

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