Clouds Hill Farm, Surrey

ECE Architecture

Turning a unsuccessful planning application into a Resolution to Grant: ECE’s landscape-led masterplan will deliver 250 homes in grey belt Surrey for Fairmile Group.

Appointed by Fairmile Group in 2025, ECE was brought in after the Local Planning Authority deemed a formally arranged layout inappropriate for this grey belt, edge-of-settlement location in Oxshott, Surrey. Our brief was clear: rethink the approach entirely and prove that 250 homes could be sensitively and viably delivered.

Central to ECE’s approach was a decision to lead with landscape, not architecture. The landscape concept plan was the first document produced, establishing a framework that celebrated the site’s existing natural features and created a coherent naturalistic backdrop for the proposed Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) on the southern portion of the site.

All parameter plans and illustrative layouts were then developed around this foundation, in close dialogue with the LPA and the wider design team. Thorough early research into Oxshott’s settlement form, vernacular character and green infrastructure gave the proposals genuine rootedness.

The primary challenge was rebuilding confidence in a scheme the LPA had already rejected. ECE approached this with intellectual honesty, starting from first principles rather than repackaging what had gone before. Working collaboratively with the LPA, we demonstrated that 250 dwellings could be accommodated whilst protecting neighbouring residents’ privacy, complying with local policy and sitting comfortably within Oxshott’s established settlement pattern.

This evidence-led approach resonated: the scheme secured a Resolution to Grant at committee, validating the shared vision ECE and Fairmile Group had built together.

The approved scheme delivers up to 250 dwellings across an equal tenure split: 125 affordable and 125 private market homes. Twelve properties are designed to M4(3) wheelchair-accessible standard across both tenures, providing genuine inclusivity. The unit mix spans one-bedroom flats through to four-bedroom-plus houses, with the private element weighted towards family accommodation. The development also incorporates the new SANG with its own dedicated car park, extensive public open space, comprehensive landscaping and principal vehicular access from Leatherhead Road.

Clouds Hill Farm is a testament to the power of placing landscape at the heart of the design process. ECE’s ability to rebuild momentum on a constrained, challenging site and secure a Resolution to Grant reflects our enduring commitment to unlocking possibilities and delivering outcomes that genuinely exceed expectations.