{"id":531625,"date":"2026-04-15T05:27:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T05:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/531625\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T05:27:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T05:27:17","slug":"feneley-studio-credits-looser-greenbelt-rules-for-self-build-home-approval","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/531625\/","title":{"rendered":"Feneley Studio credits looser greenbelt rules for self-build home approval"},"content":{"rendered":"

St Albans District Council recently approved the practice\u2019s plans for a five-bedroom home to replace existing buildings on the greenbelt site at Sauncey Wood, Harpenden. The 205m\u00b2 scheme is an expanded version of an earlier scheme for the plot, consented in 2024.<\/p>\n

Feneley Studio<\/a> has put this decision down to new rules brought in by an updated NPPF, which allow the redevelopment of previously developed land where it would not cause \u2018substantial harm\u2019 to openness.<\/p>\n

Planning officers accepted that the additional land targeted by the extended plans for the site \u2013 a garden containing multiple outbuildings \u2013 met the criteria of being \u2018previously developed\u2019. The existing consent for a house also contributed to the planning committee\u2019s decision to approve.<\/p>\n

The council also noted that the proposal was a good fit for the character of the area. Despite featuring a larger footprint than the original permission, it remained \u2018compact in form\u2019, with a \u2018sunken nature\u2019 responding to the change in elevations across the plot, and it was concluded that it would not \u2018unacceptably detract from the verdant nature of the site\u2019.<\/p>\n

The officers\u2019 report said: \u2018The proposal is acceptable in terms of its design, landscaping, amenity, parking provision, highway safety, ecology and biodiversity net gain.\u2019<\/p>\n

The amended plans increase the previously approved house\u2019s floor space by 39 per cent and volume by 108m3 \u2013 a change the planners concluded was within the guidance limits and would not materially harm greenbelt openness.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Feneley Studio said: \u2018The decision [turned] on changes to green-belt policy introduced in the latest NPPF.<\/p>\n

\u2018The revised wording allows redevelopment of previously developed land where it would not cause \u201csubstantial harm\u201d to openness, replacing earlier, stricter tests.\u2019<\/p>\n

They added: \u2018The decision reflects greater flexibility for redevelopment and amendments in the green belt, particularly where schemes build on existing permissions and impacts on openness are judged modest.\u2019<\/p>\n

Following the approval, the project is set to start on site later this year.<\/p>\n

Feneley Studio has previously won permission for rural homes under the country house clause. In 2023, the St Albans-based practice won approval for a timber-framed, self-build Passivhaus<\/a> on green-belt land in Bedfordshire, which is due for completion this summer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Model of consented Feneley Studio self-build home scheme in Sauncey Wood, credit: Feneley Studio<\/p>\n

Project data<\/p>\n

Location Sauncey Wood, Hertfordshire
Local authority St Albans District Council
Type of project New house
Client Private
Architecture, interiors, landscape, models and visuals Feneley Studio
Planning consultant DLA Town Planning
Structural engineer JD Structural Design
Principal designer Feneley Studio
Funding Private
Start on site date Late 2026
Gross internal floor area 205m\u00b2
Planning application reference 5\/2025\/1314<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Model of consented Feneley Studio self-build home scheme in Sauncey Wood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"St Albans District Council recently approved the practice\u2019s plans for a five-bedroom home to replace existing buildings on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":531626,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,184022,183241,184023,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-531625","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-feneley-studio","14":"tag-green-belt","15":"tag-nppf","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=531625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/531625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/531626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=531625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=531625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=531625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}