Woodbridge plot with rare Paragraph 84 planning permission offered for £750,000
Site in Suffolk includes approval to build 444m² 'Serpentine House' by Jerry Tate; Savills says such permissions are granted fewer than five times a year
A plot of land near Woodbridge, Suffolk, is being offered for sale at £750,000 with rare planning permission to build a five-bedroom luxury home known as Serpentine House.
East Suffolk Council granted approval for the two-storey house under paragraph 84 of the National Planning Policy Framework on May 14, 2024, a route that planners say is only used in exceptional circumstances for new isolated dwellings in the countryside. The estate agent handling the sale, Savills, said the permission was awarded on the basis of "an exceptional design of the highest architectural quality."
The unbuilt property was designed by architect Jerry Tate with landscaping by Will Sandy. According to the listing, the 444 square metre dwelling is intended to sit within the site's natural contours to minimise aesthetic and environmental impacts and will combine mains connections with self-sufficiency systems including solar panels with battery storage, ground source heating and cooling, and a water borehole with filtration.
Floorplans describe a central double-height "great hall" around which a sitting room, kitchen and dining area would be arranged, providing views over a southern lawn and terrace. The ground floor would also include a utility room, walk-in pantry, wine cellar and plant room, plus two bedrooms set into an earth bund on the north side of the building. The first floor would contain a gallery library, a master bedroom with en suite, walk-in dressing room and private balcony, two further bedrooms and a family bathroom.
Outdoor amenities shown in the planning documents include an outside kitchen, a sunken firepit and seating on a western terrace, a garden with greenhouse and potting shed, a double garage and a concealed parking area set away from the main driveway and entrance.
Savills said in its marketing material: "This is a rare Paragraph 84 permission to construct a new two-storey residential dwelling. Paragraph 84 is the current exemption clause within the National Planning Policy Framework and is only granted when there is an exceptional design of the highest architectural quality for a new isolated home in the countryside." The listing adds that since the policy's introduction in 1997, an average of fewer than five such houses per year have been granted nationwide.
The asking price covers the land and the planning consent; the buyer would be responsible for construction. The combination of a countryside setting, an architect-designed scheme and planning certainty under a restrictive policy makes the site notable in the market for rural development plots, according to the materials supplied by the agent.