Appeal over eco-mansion in hillside dismissed

An artist's impression of the planned eco-home

Plans to build a futuristic mansion partly into a hillside in the Herefordshire countryside have been rejected.

Proposals would have seen the six-bedroom home - named Flow House - built near the village of Ullingswick between Bromyard and Hereford.

An initial planning application was submitted in summer 2020 to Herefordshire Council and detailed how the building would be self-sufficient for power.

Previous plans were twice rejected and an appeal against those decisions was dismissed this week by the Planning Inspectorate.

Some councillors feared the project would harm the local landscape between Bromyard and Hereford

The mansion would also have included a gym, wine room, swimming pool, jacuzzi, carp pond and a traditional perry pear orchard.

National planning rules only permit new homes in open countryside if they meet specific criteria – in this case that they demonstrate “outstanding design”.

Plans were first refused by councillors in September 2021 on the grounds that the design was not outstanding enough and would harm the surrounding landscape.

A revised application then included a report by an independent design review panel which “confirms that the design is outstanding”, according to a planning officer’s report when the proposal again came before councillors in February 2023.

But they were insufficiently impressed and rejected the proposal by a one-vote margin.

Dismissing the appeal, planning inspector M Aqbal said the proposal “does not reach the standard of design” required in national planning rules “and would harm the character and appearance of the area”.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.