Underground garages and automotive galleries in Surrey

Why the country house is different

A country plot has room that a London plot lacks. A gallery can run beyond the footprint of the house, and a drive-out ramp fits more easily. That makes larger collections possible, from a dozen cars to a whole fleet.

The constraints are different too. Instead of a borough cap on storeys and garden area, the questions are green belt, landscape, heritage and the neighbours.

The green belt test

National policy treats new buildings in the green belt as inappropriate, subject to exceptions. Inspectors ask whether a proposal is inappropriate development, and whether any harm is clearly outweighed by other considerations.

Extensions are tested for whether they are disproportionate to the original house. Some inspectors count basement floorspace in that test. In a Nottinghamshire appeal, a basement in a replacement house was judged an inappropriate increase in size. Our planning permission guide covers the national picture.

The invisibility argument

Green belt policy protects openness. A gallery below ground, with the lawn restored over it, adds little or nothing that anyone can see.

Inspectors weigh whether a scheme is visible from outside the site. A pavilion or a flush lid keeps the visible part small. That is the core of the planning case, and it is made with landscape drawings and views.

Precedent: a 70m garage won on appeal

In 2019, a Surrey homeowner won permission on appeal for a subterranean garage of about 70m, or 230ft, under the house. It included a car lift, a turntable, a workshop and an art gallery.

The owner had been refused about seven years earlier. The appeal succeeded on the argument that the garage was an engineering operation. A neighbour objected on noise and disturbance, which is why a clear construction plan matters.

St George's Hill, Wentworth, Oxshott and Cobham

St George's Hill, Oxshott and Cobham fall within Elmbridge. Wentworth falls within Runnymede. Each district has its own local plan, and we check its current policies at feasibility.

These are estates of large, private plots, where a gallery can sit under the garden or the drive. We design the pavilion or lid with the house, so the approach looks as it always did.

Berkshire and beyond

Berkshire's country houses raise the same questions. Green belt policy applies where the land is green belt. Landscape tests apply in a National Landscape. A listed house needs listed building consent.

A listed house adds a layer of consent but does not rule a gallery out. In London, the Thurloe Place car lift won listed building consent.

What a country gallery can include

• A drive-through car lift inside a garden pavilion. Our residential car lift guide explains how it works.
• An independent drive-out ramp as the second route.
• Turntables to present cars and turn them in the aisle.
• A workshop, a detailing bay and a lounge.
• Climate control, fire detection and security to insurer standards, as in our car vault guide.

Size, depth and ground set the budget. Our underground garage cost guide explains each driver.