{"id":5812,"date":"2026-02-20T10:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T11:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/?p=5812"},"modified":"2026-02-20T15:21:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T15:21:21","slug":"studio-bark-unveils-larch-clad-orchard-house-built-on-green-belt-in-cheshire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.angesfinanciers.org\/index.php\/2026\/02\/20\/studio-bark-unveils-larch-clad-orchard-house-built-on-green-belt-in-cheshire\/","title":{"rendered":"Studio Bark unveils larch-clad Orchard House built on green belt in Cheshire"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Larch-clad<\/div>\n

London-based Studio Bark<\/a> used the so-called “country house clause” to gain permission for this wooden house<\/a>, which was self-built by its owners on a former orchard in the north of England<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The larch-clad Orchard House is located on green belt land in Cheshire, on a site where the client’s grandparents first tried and failed to get planning permission back in 1955.<\/p>\n

\"Larch-clad
The house sits in a former orchard that has been replanted<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over 60 years later, Studio Bark<\/a> overcame the challenge by using Paragraph 84, the clause in the UK’s National Planning Policy Framework that permits isolated countryside homes when they demonstrate exceptional design quality.<\/p>\n

According to Wilf Meynell, co-founder of Studio Bark, the answer was to design a low-energy building built from locally sourced timbers, while also rewilding the surrounding landscape.<\/p>\n

\"Larch-clad
The building is organised across two larch-clad boxes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Securing planning permission for isolated homes in the countryside under Paragraph 84 is already a demanding process, but add green belt into the mix and you’ve got a serious planning challenge,” said Meynell.<\/p>\n

“Overcoming this demanded patience and determination,” he said. “We developed a highly robust environmental strategy for both the building and the wider site, combining biodiversity, reduced energy demand and low carbon impact.”<\/p>\n

\"Staircase
A staircase block bridges the two sides of the house<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The resulting family house takes the form of two big timber boxes, with recessed windows that create the impression of thick walls.<\/p>\n

Inside, an upside-down layout provides bedrooms on the ground floor and communal family living spaces on the first floor.<\/p>\n