Mews Development, Dorking

A former garage and workshop site adjacent to the Pipp Brook river in the heart of Dorking Town Centre and adjacent to two listed buildings, this project initially started simply as the production of working drawings for a previously granted Planning Approval.

However, following the discovery of significant errors and omissions with the planning approval scheme prepared by the previous architects we were appointed to rectify the scheme and resubmit.

The proximity to the Pipp Brook river, the soil contamination, numerous meetings with the Environment Agency and planners followed while trying to shuffle the design to meet the requirements of the EA while also keeping within the strict design boundaries defined by the local Conservation Officer meant a protracted run through planning.

The scheme consists of nine houses, laid out as a traditional mews development. Seven of the houses (six 3 bedroom units and one 2 bedroom unit) are designed as traditional low, cottage type brick houses. Clay tile roof, red facing bricks, exposed rafter feet, brick arches and timber windows and porches all add to the aesthetic of low key mews buildings. The end semi-detached unit is designed over three floors and provides a visual block to the end of the mews by being re-orientated 90 degrees.

The last two houses on the site, Plots 8 & 9, are designed as a pair of Neo-Georgian villas and as such are significantly different in design to Plots 1 to 7. The stucco finish, sliding sash timber windows, natural slate roof and overall proportions of these houses are designed to be sympathetic to the existing listed buildings adjacent to this end of the site.