Plan to build eco-mansion into Herefordshire hillside rejected

An artist's impression of what the eco-friendly hillside home would look like

Plans to build a futuristic mansion into a Herefordshire hillside have been rejected amid concerns it would "harm" the landscape.

The six-bedroom home would have been self-sufficient in power, and equipped with a state-of-the art heating system, planners said.

Permission for the project - named Flow House - was being sought by a couple for land near Ullingswick village.

It is the second time the local authority has rejected proposals.

The Grand Designs-style mansion would also have had a gym, wine room, swimming pool, jacuzzi, carp pond and a traditional perry pear orchard, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Some councillors feared the project would harm the local landscape

Free-standing new homes in open countryside are ordinarily permitted under national planning rules if they meet one of several criteria - in this case, "outstanding design".

The county council first refused the application in September 2021 on the grounds that the design was not outstanding enough and would harm the surrounding landscape.

A revised proposal was then sent back to the authority, complete with a new detailed report by Design:Midlands, an independent design review panel, which "confirms that the design is outstanding", according to a planning officer's report which again recommended approval of the project.

But local ward member Jonathan Lester said: "Its modern design would be in stark contrast to the largely unchanged 19th Century buildings of Ullingswick nearby."

The plans include a "first of its kind" power and heating system

The council's conservation officer had not objected to the plan, saying large isolated houses within a designed landscape were "not uncharacteristic", and "can be compared to the large estates constructed by landed gentry and aristocracy throughout history".

The newest version of the plans were rejected by seven votes to six, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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