Tower House

Development planning

Planning permission has been granted for the Tower House, an isolated new dwelling in the countryside, put forward under the ‘truly outstanding design’ exception clause of paragraph 55 of the NPPF. The house is for Viscount Lymington on his family estate at Farleigh Wallop, Hampshire.

AZ Urban Studio advised Lord Lymington from the outset on planning strategy for the project, including the procurement of an architect through an invited design competition.

Sergison Bates architects were selected with their concept for a tall house in the landscape, in the tradition of follies and prospect towers that often grace country estates.

AZ Urban Studio’s planning team worked with Sergison Bates and the wider professional team over two years to shape the proposed house and associated landscape enhancements, taking the project through detailed pre-application engagement with the local planning authority, the regional design panel, and an independent peer review process.

We successfully argued that the proposed house represented a significant contribution to the discipline and cultural heritage of bold and unusual buildings upon country estates, engaging dramatically with the stunning host landscape.

The Tower House now joins the exclusive ranks of the handful of other projects that have succeeded in crossing this high bar of outstanding design in the rural environment that has existed through PPG7, PPS7 and now the NPPF (2012).