We are pleased to share planning approval for a bespoke new-build family home on a historically significant and verdant site in the village of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire - within the Stanton Harcourt & Sutton Conservation Area. The approval follows a detailed pre-application process with West Oxfordshire District Council, which confirmed the principle of development and the site’s conversion to residential use.
Positioned on a unique parcel of previously developed land at the village edge, the secluded 1.1-hectare site originally formed part of a wider RAF facility before being adapted for agricultural use. The scheme replaces the dilapidated former military and farm buildings with a thoughtfully designed five-bedroom dwelling and detached garage, while sensitively retaining key historic features — including the brick blast shelters — to honour the site’s RAF heritage and maintain a visible link to its past.
Architecturally, the design draws on local vernacular and agricultural heritage, using Cotswold stone, red brick, and slate tiles. A primary one-and-a-half-storey wing with a complementary single-storey element creates a balanced, barn-inspired composition. The internal arrangement focuses on creating modern, flexible and light-filled living spaces oriented towards the woodlands, and natural surrounding gardens.
The generous plot, with its mature woodland and open grassland, reinforces the rural character and provides a secluded setting for the family home, while the landscaping strategy delivers biodiversity enhancements, including new wildflower meadows and the installation of bird and bat boxes. A fabric-first approach underpins the scheme’s environmental design, complemented by renewable technologies including air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels, alongside mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.
Many thanks, as always, to all collaborators - Oxford & Country Planning, Inspire Heritage Services, Windrush Ecology, Venners Arboriculture, Infrastruct CS, and BRD Environmental. We’re delighted to have secured planning for this characterful and contextually sensitive dwelling, and look forward to bringing the project to life on site next year.
