Navigating Architecture, Planning & Heritage in the South Downs
Bluebell Cottage, Rear Elevation
Navigating Architecture, Planning & Heritage in the South Downs
Working within the South Downs National Park — and especially with Grade II listed buildings — requires more than creative flair. It demands care, patience, collaboration, and a deep respect for context. At REAFE STUDIO, much of our work sits at the intersection of architectural design, conservation, and planning, and these projects reveal how thoughtful, sensitive design can thrive within even the most tightly protected landscapes.
Over the past year, we’ve been privileged to work on a diverse collection of South Downs homes — each with its own story, constraints, and opportunities. From restoring a Georgian townhouse in Lewes to transforming a 1930s bungalow, remodelling a rural woodland cottage, and reviving a historic industrial unit, each project demonstrates a shared principle:
Good design grows from understanding — not overpowering — its surroundings.
Listening First: A Conservation-Led Process
Whether the brief calls for a contemporary extension, a sensitive remodel, or a complete rethinking of a home, our first step is always the same: listen to the building and listen to its place.
For our Grade II projects — such as 29 Friars Walk and No.1A Mount Place — this means undertaking deep research into the historic fabric, early maps, building evolution, and vernacular materials. It also means an early and open dialogue with Conservation Officers, often presenting initial concept sketches and materials before a formal submission is made.
For projects like Bluebell Cottage and No.1 Windover Crescent, where the heritage lies more in the landscape than the building itself, we take a broader view: respecting ridge lines, protecting views, minimising light spill, and designing in harmony with the site.
The goal is simple:
Reduce uncertainty for planners, reduce risk for clients, and create designs that feel instinctively right for their setting.
Working with the South Downs National Park Authority
Designing within a National Park requires a nuanced approach. The SDNPA places strong emphasis on:
Landscape-led thinking
Visual impact
Material honesty
Sustainability
Biodiversity
Respect for village grain and historic street patterns
In No.1 Windover Crescent, this meant aligning rooflines with neighbours, refining window placements, and ensuring the new first floor remained visually calm.
At Bluebell Cottage, it meant reducing the visual impact of the home by recladding in dark Viroc — a strategy we called shadow architecture — helping the building disappear into the woodland edge.
Designing for Grade II Buildings: Precision & Patience
For our listed projects, such as 29 Friars Walk and No.1A Mount Place, the challenge is different — but just as rewarding. These buildings have lived many lives, and our task is to honour that history while finding intelligent ways to adapt them for modern living.
At 29 Friars Walk, this meant reinstating slate hanging, repairing lime plaster, restoring sash windows and designing a rear extension that sits quietly behind the historic façade.
At No.1A Mount Place, the process involved restoring lost brick piers, reintroducing heritage-inspired windows, and designing bespoke joinery to showcase the client’s Alfa Romeo — a creative blend of conservation and contemporary living.
Our approach is never to mimic the past, but to complement it.
Old and new should speak to one another, not compete.
Collaboration: The Quiet Superpower
Across all four projects, one thing remains consistent:
Collaboration makes everything better.
We work closely with planners, conservation officers, neighbours, engineers, craftspeople and — most importantly — the clients who trust us with their homes. These conversations shape the design, refine the details, and ultimately lead to smoother planning approvals and more grounded, confident architecture.
A Shared Thread: Sensitivity, Clarity & Craft
Whether it’s a woodland cottage, a 1930s bungalow, a Georgian townhouse or an industrial conversion, the South Downs offers one clear lesson:
Design should respond, not impose.
At REAFE STUDIO, we believe the best architecture grows from understanding place, respecting history, and embracing the potential of every project — no matter how unconventional.
Each of these four homes represents a different facet of that approach, but they all share the same underlying principles:
sensitivity to context, clarity of form, honest materials, and a deep appreciation for the landscapes and heritage that make the South Downs extraordinary.
