Planning Advice Note: Pan 72: Housing in the Countryside

Planning Advice Note Housing in the Countryside

Design

High quality design must be integral to new development and local area differences must be respected.

Traditionally, local climate and available materials have had a profound influence on the design of houses and have helped to create local area characteristics. Likewise, features and finishes can help connect, or disconnect, a house to its surroundings. Increasingly, however, design has been standardised across the countryside. The challenge therefore lies in encouraging designs which are distinctive and responsive to their setting.


The Wooden House with four interior levels and design flexibility so that the walls can be added or taken out, Skye, Highlands	Elgol, Skye, Highlands	Sustainable steading conversion, Barehillock, Aberdeenshire

In some areas, such as National Parks, National Scenic Areas and Conservation Areas, there may be a case for more prescription and a preference for traditional design, but it is also important to encourage the best of contemporary designs. There is considerable scope for creative and innovative solutions whilst relating a new home to the established character of the area.

The overall aim should be to ensure that new housing is carefully located, worthy of its setting, and is the result of an imaginative, responsive and sensitive design process.

3 factors which influence design

1. Scale

There is a sturdy quality to much of the scale and shape of Scotland's domestic rural architecture. This is derived largely from the simplicity of the form and proportion, and in the arrangement of doors and windows. Traditional Scottish style has sometimes been diluted by modern designs which do not always reflect the historic scale and proportions. There is a need for sensitive designers to tackle this, especially when buildings are sited next to traditional buildings. The main objective should be to adapt the best from the local elements and to interpret traditional shapes and sizes into a modern context. Overall, the envelope (the width, height and depth of the walls) together with the roof pitch (angle) determine a building's proportions.
	Easter Davoch steading conversion, Aberdeenshire

	New extension, Skye, Highlands

simplicity of form and proportion

Traditional rural buildings look "right". They have a wide frontage and narrow plan which controls their scale and proportions.	Even if the roof pitch remains the same, if the proportions alter, the building starts to look less appropriate!

2. Materials

The use of inappropriate or too many materials can have a negative impact. The greater the use of local materials, the more the house may reflect aspects of the local character. This will also help to contribute to sustainability.

In some parts of Scotland, stone is the traditional building material, with the diversity in colour and texture adding to local identity. It is expensive, however, and may only be required in some circumstances. One suitable alternative is a tinted harl which reflects local colour, such as red brown in East Lothian.

Slate or pantiles are often the most common traditional roofing materials. Slate is a versatile and highly effective roofing material but, like stone, it is becoming increasingly expensive. In some circumstances, manufactured alternatives may be suitable.

The economic and practical advantages of timber frame construction and timber cladding means that this is likely to remain the prevalent form of construction and design in rural areas. Forestry Commission Scotland and the Wood for Good Campaign has been promoting the idea of living and building with wood. Also innovative house designs have been produced looking at the use of timber in construction.

More use of timber cladding needs to be encouraged. Ways in which it can be made more visually appropriate is through opaque painting, which is also highly desirable in terms of durability. The use of limey white colours can help to assuage concerns about timber not fitting with the tradition of lime-washed harl masonry. Other colours may sometimes be acceptable including ochre, duck egg blue and dark green.

Kit houses in the countryside need to be well designed to reflect local circumstances.

examples of materials

3. Details

The detailed aspects of rural house design show some general characteristics, although local guidance should stress any variations. Many of the typical attributes of the Scottish rural house, such as window size and setbacks, eaves and verges, dormer design, chimney stacks and porches are shaped by an often wet and windy climate. Overall, design details often need to be assessed on individual merits but excessive detailing and ornamentation should generally be avoided.

Some design detail considerations

Windows and doors - Windows and doors are often historically small and set back from the face of the wall for added protection from driving rain. Their emphasis is almost always vertical, with windows consisting of small panes. More recently, some new modern housing has favoured large windows with a horizontal orientation. This has advantages of light, solar gain and outward views from the house. Whatever the size, the use of traditional wooden frame designs, as opposed to plastic, should be encouraged.
Eaves and verges - Overhanging eaves and verges are very much part of the Scottish tradition, but their use does vary from place to place, as they are often a direct response to the micro climate. For example, they have particular benefits in areas of high rainfall.
Gables and chimneys - Chimneys are an important characteristic of traditional Scottish rural housing, normally located on gable ends and breaching the ridgeline of the roof to avoid long slender stacks exposed to the weather. However, in the context of energy efficiency, it is good practice to locate a chimney centrally, rather than on a gable.
Dormers - Dormer windows, used where the roof space is required for accommodation, should normally take the form of traditional dormers or roof lights with vertical proportions.
Porches - Porches are a common feature on most houses and a variety of styles has evolved, performing a number of useful functions such as reducing draughts. Where they are part of the overall design of a house they can make a contribution to the quality of the internal and external environment. Whether traditional or modern, they have to be in proportion to the elevation.
Energy - Considerations should be given to energy efficiency including heating systems, insulation and type of glazing.
Conservatories - These should be sensitive in design and often benefit from more heat and light if placed on a south facing elevation.