Luxury superhome planned for Ghyllheugh estate

Nov 22 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

PLANS have been tabled for a ground-breaking country house in Northumberland. The building, proposed for a lakeside setting near Longhorsley, is believed to be the first in the North East under planning guidance which encourages exceptional, innovative, and quality design of residential properties in rural areas.

Newcastle architects Reid Jubb Brown have been working for three years on details of Lake House, planned for the Ghyllheugh estate.

An application has been submitted to Alnwick District Council, and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment has also been consulted.

Kevin Brown, the architect responsible for Lake House, said: “This has been one of the most exciting and challenging commissions of my career.

“The brief from the client demanded an innovative new home incorporating the very latest in new, sustainable technologies and a design that is both bold and exciting, yet functional and liveable.

“Lake House will represent globally the best the North East has to offer in terms of creativity, innovation and technology. It is a house of international importance.

“It has been designed in the region, will be built using the very latest techniques by craftsmen from the area, and will use materials which, wherever possible, will be provided by the Ghyllheugh estate itself and other local sources.”

The basic structure of Lake House is a strong, sculpted shell made from green oak, forming waves and curves. Part of the roof will be clad in overlapping lengths of oak from the Ghyllheugh Estate and will include solar panels. Part will be a living roof of sedum.

Tony Woodcock, director of Tony Woodcock Planning Consultants, based at Netherwhitton, near Morpeth, who coordinated the project, said: “In order to obtain planning consent under what is known as PPS7, we have to meet the Government’s extremely demanding requirements for new country houses.

“Government has so far been disappointed at the response to this initiative which requires that the design should be truly outstanding and groundbreaking, for example, in its use of materials, methods of construction or its contribution to protecting and enhancing the environment, so helping to raise standards of design more generally in rural areas.

“We have been extremely painstaking and have taken enormous care researching the ecology and the landscape history of the Ghyllheugh Estate, enlisting the help of specialists in these fields to ensure the new house not only meets, but exceeds, the Government’s requirements. It is a stunning building.”

Mr Brown said: “If building in a rural area, you have to do something innovative and create something beautiful which blends with its setting.”

Other consultants working on the project include structural engineers Buro Happold, landscape architect Colin Jubb, of Reid Jubb Brown, landscape historian Nick Owen, ecologist Jane Young and woodland management specialist Andrew Hampton.

A decision on the planning application is expected within the next two months.

:: For more of Tony’s stories, go to www.journallive.co.uk/tonyhenderson