The design of the house has been specifically developed to suit the client’s requirements whilst taking into account the requirements of environmental and accessibility legislation. The ground floor is largely open plan in layout with rooms interconnecting to create an open space that maximises the usability of the area and reduce the requirement for circulation. This type of layout creates visual connections in the house and promotes the passive surveillance of the property as described in Section 2 of the Security by Design guidelines.

The main living spaces have been orientated to the South and West and feature high levels of glazing to these orientations to take advantage of sunlight and daylight and the associated garden spaces. The selective use of glazing has been developed in line with the environmental strategy for the dwelling and this was tested at an early stage and the results included in the planning application’s Energy Statement and Draft SAP Worksheets. The orientation of the windows has been complemented by the maximisation of the distribution of the garden layout to make the most of the direct sunlight as described below.

In order to open up the plan of the house the ancillary accommodation, such as storage and wet spaces (including the ground floor WC and kitchen) have been grouped in such a way as they form a storage wall that intersects with the main body of the house. The external storage requirements prescribed in the Code for Sustainable Housing have been integrated into this architectural feature which reads as a thick wall. This successfully integrates the requirement for a house of this size to provide indoor drying space, storage for 4 bicycles in addition to the pre-collection sorted waste storage, etc.. The use of timber cladding in this ‘thick wall’ clearly identifies its use as being a different type of accommodation and provides the additional roles of being a thermal buffer and creating defensive realm for the entrance to the house.

At ground floor, also in keeping with the Code for Sustainable Housing, a generously sized home office has been provided which also has the dual purposes of being utilised as a ground floor bedroom should the requirements of the inhabitants change. This flexible room has been located adjacent to the entrance such that were it to be used as an office, visitors would not require full access to the house, adjoining this room is the visitable WC which could if required be modified to include a level access shower.

The first floor layout has again been arranged such that the bedrooms are South facing and a wall of storage has been created separating them from the main circulation that runs along the North wall of the house. By locating the storage within the darkest part of the plan, it provides an opportunity to maximise the use of natural systems e.g. sunlight for warmth and light.

The bedrooms are all generous double bedrooms and proportioned such that there is flexibility in how they maybe furnished. The incorporation of bedroom storage creates a somewhat organised layout and the general provision of a range of differently sized spaces has been tightly integrated into the design of the house.

The main bathroom for the house is located at the first floor and additionally an en-suite has been provided to the master bedroom. The selection of bathroom fittings has been to conserve water and minimise flood risk and as such will be from water saving ranges and will additionally incorporate grey water technologies such as to reduce the consumption of potable water as described in greater detail in the structural engineer’s report that accompanies this application.

The proposed development is relatively low in height and should be considered almost as a mews relative to the houses to the surrounding streets. The overall height of the proposed dwelling is 6m in part with parts of the dwelling only single storey compared to an average of about 8.5m for the surrounding dwellings.

In order to achieve a good level of sustainability, the selection of materials will be to achieve a high thermal performance and will use transparency where possible to allow the harnessing of solar energy in addition to utilising the building’s embodied thermal mass to retain this free energy. A preliminary solar analysis of the proposal has been carried out to assess the potential solar gain to the property and the detailing will further develop this potential.

The intent will be to maximise the use of materials with a high recycled content which will ideally be sourced locally to cut down on transport emissions and reduce the embodied energy of the building.

In line with the ecological statement and in line with the attached ecologist’s report, the proposal will be endeavouring to enhance the site’s biodiversity e.g. by incorporating green / brown roofs.

Buildings, no matter how well insulated will need a continual input of heat to maintain desired temperature levels. By specifying the appropriate level and location of the insulation within the house design the input needed will be much smaller in a well insulated building

The proposed Surface water disposal regime is designed in accordance with SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) techniques and in accordance with best Practice.

Key to the design of the landscaping is the integration of bio-diversity measures and the use of composting. This is covered in greater detail in the attached ecologist report.

The proposed dwelling is undeniably modern. Whilst the selections of materials that have been chosen are very much in keeping with the local vernacular, the design is very much a product of its time and the environmental and legislative influences that it must respond to. In keeping with the recommendations of The Borough of Richmond Design Quality SPD, the palette of materials that are proposed to be used has been kept deliberately limited. The limited palette has been used to effect with areas of solid wall, such as the North façade, which has been designed to reduce heat loss by the use of limited openings and reduced surface area, being broken up with contracting materials.

From the outset the applicant has had a clear ambition for the site, a desire to create an efficient home of the highest level of quality and design.

The proposed dwelling has been designed to provide easy accessibility to all by taking on board the recommendations and guidelines outlined in Part M of the Building Regulations, Lifetime Homes in addition to the principles outlined in Section 2 of Secured by Design. The designs promote the concept of lifetime housing which will result in longer building lifespan through better adaptability for different functions by making provision for possible alterations at a later date to accommodate the changing needs of occupants which might be brought about by older age, ill health or accidents.

Entrances – Both the access to the house and the entrance will be adequately lit to provide a safe and accessible environment. The front door will be fitted with a proprietary level access threshold.

Doorways and hallways – All doors and circulation is sufficiently wide to allow manoeuvring in a wheelchair and lead edges of doors are provided with a 300mm zone to the lead edge of the door.

Space to turn and move around – As shown on the plans, 1500mm turning circle are achieved throughout.

Living Room – All living spaces are provided at the ground floor.

Convenient bed-space – The flexibility of the plan allows for the provision of a home office / bedroom at the ground floor adjacent to the front door.

Accessible WC and potential shower – An accessible WC is provided at the ground floor adjacent to the ground floor bedroom and the layout of which could be easily adapted to include a shower.

Bathroom Walls – The appropriate bathroom walls will be constructed with an additional layer of plywood to facilitate the installation of grab rails, etc..

Possibility for stair lift and future through floor lift – There is provision for the installation of a future stair lift, however we would consider that the provision of a ground floor bedroom to be a far more satisfactory and inclusive solution.

Potential hoist route – The location of the potential ground floor bedroom adjacent to the visitable WC facilitates this requirement, however the design would require the rehanging of the WC door should this requirement arise to make this easier.

Bathroom layout – Both the bathroom and WC are generously sized to facilitate less mobile people moving around.

Windows – We have opted for shutters to be fitted within the bedrooms in lieu of opening windows and as such they would be fitted with opening sections at low and high levels to provide degrees of ventilation and control.

Sockets, switches and controls – The locations of sockets will be as per BS 7671and Part M in order to allow easy access.

Security lighting in the form of compact fluorescent lighting controlled by a combination of dawn to dusk sensors and movement sensors will be provided along the length of the laneway in accordance with the Code for Sustainable Housing. Whilst Security by Design would prefer the use of lights that remain permanently on, it is proposed that due to the location of this laneway in proximity to the adjoining dwellings that the lights will be controlled by sensors in keeping with the Code for Sustainable. Consideration and detailing of the approach and access lighting will ensure that there will be little if any impact on the residents of the adjoining properties.