Recently, we took the plunge and applied to Colchester planning for some advice, hoping to test the waters with our concept of a simply designed pre-fab house. The land in question is a lovely plot we’re planning to buy from some friends of ours. Now, neither of us can boast any construction experience—our DIY prowess pretty much ends at assembling flat-pack furniture—so the idea of a simple, pre-fab house from a company like Potten or Danwood, offering a turn-key solution, sounded like an absolute dream.
After what felt like an age—though in reality, it was just a month or so—the response from the council finally landed in our inbox. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the encouraging news we had hoped for. Due to national policies regarding building in rural areas, it seemed quite unlikely that our plan would sail through if we officially submitted it. While the pre-application advice doesn’t directly impact the formal planning process, receiving such a lukewarm response did put a bit of a dampener on our spirits. It left us pondering the possibility that we might need to explore alternative routes to realise our dream home.
So, for now, we find ourselves back at the drawing board, armed with a bit more knowledge and a whole lot of determination. It’s all part of the grand adventure of turning dreams into reality, and we’re ready to navigate the twists and turns that come our way. After all, as the saying goes, “When one door closes, another opens—usually into an empty room with nothing but a paint-splattered ladder.” But hey, that’s all part of the fun, right?
