Added dimensions

While previous generations thought nothing of rebuilding or reshaping old homes that no longer suited their needs, today we are expected to be rather more respectful of the past. And when it comes to listed homes, adding new design to the old requires a delicate touch.

Making changes and adding space to a protected property is rarely easy. It requires great dexterity and determination, particularly when it comes to negotiating the assault course of the planning system.

Local council planners and bodies such as English Heritage have for years been seen as champions of "fogeydom", worshippers of the past, always resisting change and making ever-more restrictive rules that stifle attempts to try something brave, new and different. But there are distinct signs that the winds of change are blowing through the dusty corridors of officialdom.

A sprinkling of brilliant new projects has demonstrated that with visionary planners and the best 21st century design, old and new can sit happily side by side.

"The idea is that the new should not detract from the old and, where possible, should enhance it," says architect Charles Barclay, who has recently completed an inspiring extension to a Grade II listed Georgian house in south-east London. The former Victorian kitchen extension was replaced by a dazzling, sun-filled kitchen and dining pavilion.

Barclay says: "The new structure fits the footprint of the old and is built in a traditional way, with brick and a pitched roof, but it has Modernist detailing and now unites the inside with the garden."

Among the stunning features are a galley kitchen, with a long peninsular counter, an interior that opens up to the rafters, a glass door in the gable end that retracts into the wall, glass fold-back doors by Cantifix and a wonderful Acero stone floor, which runs from the dining area to the outside terrace.

Barclay says: "The stone's tawny and green colouring makes it ideal for inside/outside use and is much more practical than finishes such as limestone."

The client, Lu Spinney, is delighted. "We had seen Charles's work before and were impressed with his ideas. From the outset we knew we didn't want anything conservative. His design was just right, being both extremely imaginative and sensitive to the old. The finished results have exceeded all expectations."

At the start of the project, Barclay was unsure how planners and English Heritage would react to his proposals. "The glass bay and glass folding doors could have been a sticking point, but when we talked it through and demonstrated that the key idea was to strengthen the relationship with the amazing garden, they agreed. In fact, English Heritage was very supportive."

The new extension was part of a larger refurbishment project, but the architect estimates that building a similar addition from scratch would cost about £60,000.

While a traditional-style extension is considered by many to be the safe option, it is clearly not the only one. "Each case is assessed individually, but many listed buildings can sustain some sensitive alteration and extension," agrees Steven Robb, a historic buildings inspector with English Heritage. "A contemporary style of approach is acceptable when the design demonstrates an intimate knowledge of the building type, where the scale and material doesn't dominate the old and where detail is handled sensitively." He recommends that owners of listed urban homes should look at English Heritage's publications, including its free London Terrace Housing Guide.

Among the most difficult extensions to execute are modern designs in sensitive rural areas. And so architectural practice Knox Bhavan achieved a triumph with its long, glass-fronted, turf-roofed kitchen-garden extension to a listed 17th century Kent farmhouse called Hodges Place.

"Things didn't start too well when one of the planners felt that the extension should be in the same style as the house, something like a range of outbuildings," recalls architect Simon Knox. "Fortunately, the conservation officer took a different view and said that while the modern style of our design was clearly quite different from the farmhouse, it didn't compete with it." In fact, when the local council's head of planning addressed the planning committee he heaped praise on the design, describing it as "a very imaginative solution to the provision of additional accommodation".