| Your
first question to answer is; “What do you
need?”. If you only have one horse then
you will need a stable (possibly an additional
one for a companion), a feed and hay store, a
tack room, and somewhere to store the manure to
ensure that there is no contamination of water
courses or aquifers. Obviously, the more horses
you have, the more stables you will need but you
also need to remember that the hay store, tack
shed and muck store will also need to be larger.
In most situations, unless a site is within
the curtilage of your dwelling and the equestrian
use is not a business, planning permission will
have to be obtained for either the conversion
of an existing building or the construction
of new stables. If there are existing buildings
on your proposed site, then national planning
policy in both Planning Policy Statement 7 -
Sustainable Development in Rural Areas and PPG
2 - Green Belt, will push for the re-use of
existing buildings rather than the construction
of new buildings. These will be reflected in
the local plan or local development framework
policies for your area.
Where there are existing buildings on site,
and considering the answer to your first question,
you need to assess the existing buildings to
ascertain whether they are suitable for conversion
to stables and whether they will fulfil your
requirements. The list of items to consider
is:
Structural Integrity
Type of construction (floor, walls and roof)
Eaves height
Ventillation
Size and layout
Drainage
The building’s previous use
Access and hard standing
Oientation
Other advantages of conversions include the
fact that they may be more architecturally pleasing
than a new stable block and the conversion may
be cheaper than a new build. This is not always
the case, especially if the floor requires substantial
repair or renewal.
Some rural buildings lend themselves to different
stable layouts. A converted modern agricultural
barn, typically 60’ long by 30’
wide, would be suitable for an “American
barn” style layout whereas a milking parlour
or garage will be more readily converted to
traditional stables.
In all conversions you need to ensure that the
design for the conversion is robust enough to
cope with the damage that horses can inflict
on a building. Many post war agricultural buildings
used relatively soft blocks or bricks which
can be demolished in one night by a kicking
equine. Doors need to have strips to prevent
chewing.
If the buildings are not suitable for your purposes
or there are no buildings on the site then you
will need to firstly check the planning policies
for the area. Whether you demolish and replace
the existing buildings or site new stables,
there are numerous choices to be made; many
of which are a matter of personal preference,
budget and design. For example, a traditional
yard or a yard all under one roof and timber
or block built stables.
The choice of how to buy the stables is also
huge. Some firms specialise in bespoke top quality
timber stables and others in lighter weight
sectional buildings. A good local builder may
be able to deliver a set of block built stables
which have been designed by a specialist very
cost effectively. Spend some time looking at
the different products and understand why one
firm is cheaper than another. The brochures
are helpful but many suppliers have stands at
the country shows and 3-day events with stables
created on site to show the different features.
If you know someone that has recently had stables
built then ask them how the project went, are
they happy with the result and did it come in
on budget. If you want to keep your green conscience
clean then check that your supplier uses timber
approved by the Forestry Stewardship Council
(FSC) and would therefore come from a sustainably
managed forest.
If you would like further advice on the planning
and design issues around creating a new set
of stables then visit our website www.acorus.co.uk
or ring Iain Skinner on 01977 682313.
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