Riverside retreat

This spectacular and elegant waterside home is a triumph of design on a complex plot

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Chris Dann has an enduring passion for property and design. ‘I've always had a feeling for homes and space,’ he says. And that instinct came into play when he acquired a riverside plot in the heart of a Wiltshire town - land that he bought from his mother.

Despite the site being in the centre of a busy town and home to nothing more inspiring than old garages and informal parking, Chris's overtures to the local planning department over several years came to nothing. The number of obstacles were significant; the site is in a conservation area surrounded by listed properties. Chris realised that something substantial would need to change to tip the scales on planning permission.

PLANNING SUCCESS

That change came when Chris sold his home in Berkshire to escape the disruption of the government's HS2 high-speed railway project and moved in to a bungalow situated at the top of the lane leading to the site.

Having already bought the site from his mother he instructed local architect Rob Elkins of Artel 31 to design a property that would successfully achieve planning permission.

Rob's response was a contemporary, yet sympathetic house design - one that gave a nod to the style of the neighbouring homes and which used locally sourced materials.