Hampshire · Areas we serve
Architectural Services in the New Forest
Homes that sit quietly in the landscape, designed with a genuine understanding of national park planning.
Building in the New Forest asks more of architecture than almost anywhere else in the south. The National Park Authority protects the landscape fiercely, and rightly so; schemes succeed here when they demonstrate restraint, natural materials, and a real sensitivity to setting. That happens to be how LUSO designs everywhere, which is why the Forest suits us.
Kariba House, a one-off lakeside residence near Ringwood, is the clearest expression of our New Forest work: stone, timber, and glass arranged to dissolve the boundary between home and landscape. At Chester Cottage in Lymington we took the opposite brief, reimagining a traditional cottage as a calm contemporary retreat with cedar cladding and landscaped gardens around a pool.
What we do in The New Forest
- New Build Homes
- Extensions & Renovations
- Master Planning
- Commercial Projects
- Planning Applications
- Building Regulations
- 3D Visualisations
- Interior Design
Recent LUSO projects in the New Forest
Kariba House, New Forest
A one-off luxury residence set within the landscape of the New Forest, this contemporary home has been carefully designed to sit quietly within its…
Mount Pleasant Lane, Lymington
This project reimagines a traditional cottage set within the tranquil landscape of the New Forest, transforming the existing dwelling into a refined…
The New Forest: common questions
- Is it difficult to get planning permission in the New Forest?
- The National Park Authority applies strict policies, particularly on floorspace increases and new dwellings. Difficult is not the same as impossible: schemes grounded in the landscape, modest in massing, and honest in materials do win support. We set realistic expectations at feasibility stage.
- Do you cover Lymington, Brockenhurst, and Burley?
- Yes, the whole Forest. Chester Cottage on Mount Pleasant Lane in Lymington is a recent example, a sensitive transformation of a traditional cottage into a contemporary countryside home.
- What makes a New Forest scheme succeed at planning?
- Evidence of restraint. Massing kept low, materials drawn from the landscape, existing trees and boundaries respected, and a design statement that shows the scheme belongs. Our 98% approval rate rests on preparing schemes to that standard before submission.
- Can you design a contemporary home in the Forest, or only traditional?
- Contemporary design succeeds in the Forest when it is quiet and grounded, as Kariba House shows. The Authority resists pastiche as much as it resists excess; what it looks for is quality and fit.
Other areas we serve
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