The Croft, London
15 new homes on a Grey Belt site
Status - Planning permission granted
The project delivers 15 new family homes on a Grey Belt site in East London, currently dominated by concrete hardstanding and long used for car storage, meeting the latest NPPF Grey Belt criteria.
The scheme has been carefully designed to preserve Green Belt openness, with well-spaced buildings and generous gaps at all levels to maintain visual permeability. The homes adopt a suburban scale and character, responding positively to surrounding streets and context. Two and three-storey houses feature recessed entrances, repeating chimneys, and considered fenestration, creating a cohesive architectural identity.
The scheme introduces high-quality landscaping, developed in collaboration with BD Landscapes, including a new play space and communal growing area for residents.
Sustainability is central, with a fabric-first approach targeting Passivhaus standards and achieving a 64% reduction in regulated CO₂ emissions compared to the Part L 2021 baseline.
The project received unanimous planning approval in 2025.
Publications
The project has been published in The Architect’s Journal and Building Design
The project was recently featured in the article: “Housing on the edge: how architects won approval for grey belt and semi-rural homes”
Project Team
Architects / Novak Hiles Architects
Client / Croft Homes RM5
Planning consultant / Savills
Landscape consultant / BD Landscapes
Landscape and visual impact / Neaves Urbanism
Ecology consultant / MKA
Energy and sustainability / Hodkinson
Transport consultant / Iceni Projects
Cost consultant / 3 Sphere
Fire consultant / Fire Safety London
Public engagement consultant / Camargue
Air quality / Love Design Studio
Daylight and sunlight / Point 2
Flood consultant / Idom
Land contamination / Idom
Noise consultant / Savills
Tree consultant / RPS
Archaeology consultant / RPS
Visualiser / Axson Office