A light solution for planning permission

London is not the only place in the country where planning permission and restrictions are an issue. In the heart of Suffolk is a sleepy, but beautiful, town called Lavenham. Parts of the town date back to 1086 and as such there is a huge amount of history and some absolutely stunning architecture on display – it’s named the best preserved Medieval town in England and there are no less than 340 listed buildings.

As lovely as the town is to visit, building in the heart of the town is a tricky process. Our client had a plot of land between 3 historic buildings and wished to build a property on the land. Initial and second plans were rejected and, as such, our client needed to design a property that was almost invisible to all the buildings surrounding it. Eventually a plan was agreed, but to get light into a single story flat roof property is tricky when you are trying to fly below the radar.

In the end a sedum roof was designed into the project to keep the property disguised from above and three skylights were added to create light in what would have otherwise have been a very dark property.

The main issue was the front entrance hall, where it was very difficult to gain natural light. This was solved by a single Skyview Skylight that now bathes the hall in light. The kitchen also, as the whole property is surrounded by high walls, had an issue with a lack of light. With a Skyview and an Aero Ventilation skylight, both light and ventilation issues were solved and were in-keeping with the style of the modern and understated property. What could have been a very dark space is now gifted with sunlight through the Sunsquare product range.

Justin, Managing Director of Sunsquare said “It was a pleasure to help our client bring some much-needed light into their property and thanks to the SkyView and Aero Vent skylights and clever design it is a wonderful light, airy and modern home hidden in the heart of a historic Suffolk wool town.”

If you are facing a design challenge and are looking for innovative ways to bring light into a property, whether that’s your home or a new project that you’re working on, we’d love to hear from you!