Planning submitted for rural housing in Surrey


The proposed redevelopment of Wrays Farm for rural development was borne out a series of Prior Approval applications to secure a strong planning case for residential development in the Greenbelt. Wrays Farm is a collection of poor quality buildings currently being used as a scaffolding yard near Horley in Surrey and Gatwick Airport in West Sussex.

The proposed design developed out of an analysis of the site and rural patterns of agricultural development in the area. This became a collection of modern vernacular buildings on the site that demonstrate a hierarchy of form and materials that offered a brick and tile 'Farmhouse' as the principle building on the site containing 9 apartments, a long vertically clad timber 'Barn' containing 6 apartments, a loose collection of ancillary buildings offering 4 houses and 'Stable' outbuildings to contain the bin and bike storage on site.

The development is sheltered from the busy road behind an existing brick wall and rises in scale where the larger apartment buildings are afforded views out over the countryside. The shared surface of the access road dictates a slower pace and pedestrian priority. Key vistas are terminated with building focal points, entrances, balconies, corner and dormer windows. The materials of the building and landscape including red brick, black timber, plain tile and timber shingles are contextual and evoke a relaxed rural aesthetic.