Hewitt Studios have recently completed a sustainable Beach Retreat in South Wales on a very challenging site.

The site represented a significant planning challenge, being located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Gower Peninsula. It enjoys a spectacular coastal vista, taking in the ruins of nearby Pennard Castle (a Scheduled Ancient Monument) and the Three Cliffs Valley (containing designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest). These are sensitive surroundings which demanded a carefully-considered approach.

Hewitt Studios demonstrated to the planners that this was a house of negligible environmental and visual impact, designed to exceed Level 3 of the Code for Sustainable Homes (with the incorporation of passive, low-energy technologies like hemp insulation, natural ventilation and solar gain), whilst forming a discrete addition to the coastal landscape.