ProjectChalkstream House
LocationHertfordshire
ClientPrivate
StatusPlanning Approved
A five bedroom family home in the Green Belt inspired by surrounding chalkstreams
Chalkstream House is a five bedroom family home situated on the edge of a commuter village in the Hertfordshire Green Belt. The design is deeply informed by the rare chalkstream ecology of the area, and uses a palette of local, natural materials to root the building in its context. Landscape enhancements are a significant component of the project, with a new wildlife meadow, orchard and scrub development, and new ecological ponds.
The site has been in the family for decades, and the client, Stewart, remembers picking blackberries there as a child. While the land has fallen into neglect, the project seeks to restore the landscape and create a contemporary, zero-carbon home for the next generation.
Chalkstream House was granted planning permission under Paragraph 84 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in 2026. The home is designed to be whole life zero carbon.
A Bespoke Family Home
With deep roots to the site, the client’s ambition was to create an environmental “lifetime” home. The architecture is a contemporary interpretation of North Hertfordshire’s rural vernacular: steep pitched roofs echo local gabled forms, while an elongated form reflects the linearity of surrounding homes.
The two storey home is entered via a central porch reminiscent of local rural buildings. The ground floor features an expansive, open plan living and kitchen area to the south, capturing expansive views across the site. To the north, the plan transitions into more intimate, enclosed spaces including a snug, playroom and utility room. All five bedrooms are located upstairs, with the south facing master bedroom enjoying views across the newly planted site.
Hyperlocal, Natural Materials
Located on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, the area is characterised by its chalk geology, deeply influencing Chalkstream House’s material palette. Whilst contemporary, the home remains thoughtful and sensitive with a distinct connection to the underlying geology and above ground landscape. Material mapping shows that the majority of construction materials can be sourced within a 20 mile radius.
Reclaimed Arlesey bricks use local clay, with their distinctive white, yellow, and blue tones. The flint, prominent in local clay and chalk, is reflected on the ground floor masonry, while the first storey is clad in local timber.
Planning Permission in the Green Belt
Securing planning permission for a new home in an isolated Green Belt location carries a significant planning challenge. Using our expertise in rural planning policy, we achieved planning permission for Chalkstream House under Paragraph 84 of the NPPF - a policy that allows for new homes in the open countryside only if they demonstrate exceptional standards of design and sustainability.
Chalkstream House also meets the Very Special Circumstances required to build a new home in the Green Belt - with an emphasis on minimising visual impact, ecological enhancement, and raising design standards in the area.
Paragraph 84 is often associated with ‘Grand Designs’ scale projects, yet Chalkstream House proves that “outstanding” is a measure of quality, not size. At Studio Bark we have over ten years experience with Paragraph 84 homes, and have published a comprehensive policy resource on our website.
Landscape & biodiversity
The site’s immediate surroundings are dilapidated, with crumbling buildings, unmanaged hedgerows, and overgrown trees. The new home will repair the site while retaining a sense of wilderness and enhancing biodiversity. A sensitive lighting strategy mitigates ecological disruption.
The entrance features brick paving and grasses to give a sense of the house emerging from a lost landscape. Significant landscape enhancements include a new wildlife meadow, orchard and scrub development, and new ecological ponds. Subtle mown paths provide routes through the otherwise unmanaged wildlife meadow. Wildlife interventions include integrated bat and swift boxes in the building fabric, and an invertebrate box on a retained tree. These interventions will result in a biodiversity net gain of 33.27% in Habitat Units on site.
Whole Life Zero Carbon
Chalkstream House will be a whole life zero carbon home, meaning it will remove more carbon from the atmosphere than it creates over its lifespan. We use a fabric-first methodology, using passive design principles - orientation, form, placement, and glazing - to minimise energy demand. The home achieves exceptional U-Values that exceed both LETI and Part L targets.
Beyond its thermal envelope, the house integrates green roofs, high-efficiency PV panels, and a palette of locally sourced, natural materials to reduce embodied carbon. Remaining emissions are addressed through on-site offsetting, including the planting of 25 new trees. Studio Bark measured the operational and embodied energy of the project using our Innovate UK-funded SmallCarbon tool. Our whole life carbon assessment shows that the home’s breakeven point will be at 54 years, when the home has sequestered more carbon than it produced.
All of Studio Bark’s new build projects are whole life zero carbon - following our commitment for all new builds to be whole life zero carbon by 2025.
“Studio Bark is a small but excellent firm with hugely talented individuals and a fantastic team ethos - I think that is what makes them unique. That, and the clear mandate for excellence - going the extra mile for perfection - both in design and procedural matters. The attention to detail is incredible and every single potential pitfall is considered and overcome in advance.
We have now achieved planning for a Para 84 house which is a hugely impressive achievement. The finished house will be the perfect place to raise my growing family and for that I am eternally grateful to everyone at Studio Bark who have made this "impossible dream" a reality.”
- Client, Chalkstream House
