Location

The property is located in the beautiful Suffolk countryside between Wickham Market and Framlingham in the gently undulating Deben Valley. The plot lies adjacent to the 18th Century listed 'serpentine' or 'crinkle-crankle' wall, that is believed to be the longest existing example in England. The village of Easton, deemed to be one of Suffolk's most beautiful villages, is half a mile from the property and benefits from the highly regarded dining pub, The White Horse. There is also a primary school, village hall, an attractive church, Easton Farm Park, bowls club and well supported cricket club.

The building plot is situated less than 100 miles from London and only 4.5 miles from the nearest train station at Campsea Ashe which has reliable connecting services via Ipswich to London's Liverpool Street. Framlingham is close by at just 3.5 miles from the property and is well known for its Norman Castle and excellent café culture on its market hill. The market town of Woodbridge is approximately 8.5 miles and has national and independent shopping facilities, a variety of eateries and is popular for sailing on the river Deben. The Suffolk Heritage Coast with destinations such as Aldeburgh, Thorpeness, Orford and Southwold are all within the locality.

The meadow plot itself extends to approximately 3.9 acres of mature grounds including a copse of hornbeam, with other silver birch and horse chestnut trees, a pond and hedgerows on all boundaries. There are outstanding views over its grounds and once the dwelling is constructed, there will be stunning views over the surrounding open landscape.

Description

In mature grounds of almost four acres, the permissioned residential dwelling, which will extend to 444m2 (4,781 sq feet), will comprise a double height 'great hall' and sitting room, kitchen/dining room with walk-in pantry, snug/TV room, studio/office, two ground floor bedrooms with en-suites (one annexed), larder, utility room, store room, wine cellar, boot room, plant room and garaging for two cars. On the first floor will be an open gallery library, master bedroom with en-suite, walk-in dressing room and exterior balcony, two further bedrooms with shared 'jack and jill' family bathroom.

Known as Serpentine House on Bushy Meadow, this is a rare Paragraph 84 (previously 80) permission to construct a new two storey residential dwelling in the open countryside. It was granted approval by East Suffolk Council under reference DC/23/1450/FUL on 14th May 2024.

This latest permission granted is truly revolutionary as a contemporary approach to designing a country house. Paragraph 84 is the current exemption clause within the 2023 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and are only granted when there is an exceptional design of the highest architectural quality for a new isolated home in the countryside. Since the introduction of the policy in 1997, there have been, on average, fewer than five such houses per year granted.

The proposed dwelling was designed by the internationally renowned architect and Grand Designs veteran Jerry Tate (Tate + Co Architects) and landscape architect, Will Sandy (McGregor Coxall). The intention is that it will be a self-sufficient property with solar and battery storage, ground source heating/cooling, and water bore hole pump and filtration system alongside mains connections.

Serpentine House will be set within the natural contours of the site, minimising aesthetic and environmental impacts on the surrounding landscape.

The primary living areas are arranged around a central 'great hall', which will create a double height space at the heart of the house with open aspect vistas over the terrace and formal southern lawn and landscape beyond. The ancillary spaces sit within an earth 'bund' on the northern side of the building and visually concealed. These spaces will contain the utilities, larder, wine cellar and plant room.

There will be an outside kitchen and sunken firepit with seating on the western terrace with access to a productive garden (kitchen garden/potager), greenhouse and potting shed to the north. In addition to the double garage, there is a concealed parking area offset from the driveway and main entrance.
The sweeping curves of the building, which deploy in sinuous three-dimensional form, create a highly distinctive design. The roof becomes the building and, where it is parted from the ground, reveals its interior that engages directly with elevated views of the immediate landscape and beyond.

The first floor living spaces are contained where the timber 'leaf' structure reaches a point with a central ridge as the 'spine'. This provides a double height central 'great hall' and first floor gallery library. The west wing provides a master suite comprised of bedroom, en-suite bathroom, walk-in dressing room and access to a private west facing exterior balcony. The east wing provides two additional bedrooms each shared by a 'jack and jill' family bathroom.