Manning Holden Architects

Manning Holden Architects Our comprehensive architectural services include conceptual and schematic design, permissions from l
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Bit of a planning rant incoming..!We seem to have had endless problems with planners lately. I’m talking crazy decisions...
12/08/2026

Bit of a planning rant incoming..!

We seem to have had endless problems with planners lately. I’m talking crazy decisions and requests which make me fully question the whole system. I’ll give you a couple of my favourites...

Planning declined to change a newsagent's only access door from 750mm to a wheelchair-compliant 900mm so that wheelchair users could actually access it. Apparently the look of the conservation area trumps basic human needs 🤯

Second favourite, a comment from a conservation officer asking us to swap a sensitively designed local stone extension for a glass box. I mean, surely this totally defeats the point of removing the existing conservatory and replacing it with a properly designed and insulated room which can actually be used all year round?! (we won this one in the end)

The mind boggles, and I could honestly go on and on...

So you can imagine my surprise when I logged onto the Peak Park planning website to see what nonsensical comments were being made about one of our applications, only to find that permission had been GRANTED!! 🎉

Not sure why we never received a letter from them, but hey ho, we'll take that as a win!!

Rant over, thanks for listening!

Woop woop! Planning granted for our large farmhouse renovation in the Derbyshire Dales! 🙌Swipe for the before shot... ca...
20/07/2026

Woop woop! Planning granted for our large farmhouse renovation in the Derbyshire Dales! 🙌

Swipe for the before shot... can you tell what we've done?

This one was a bit of a light-bulb moment. We'd almost given up trying to connect the two gable loft spaces whilst also creating enough headroom to properly insulate the roofs. Then the penny dropped.

I'll admit, I thought the planners might go a bit ape about it... but it sailed through! 🎉

Now we're ready to get stuck into a monster pack of construction drawings.

Swipe to see the existing conservatory 👀We have recently secured planning permission and undertaken building regulation ...
20/05/2026

Swipe to see the existing conservatory 👀

We have recently secured planning permission and undertaken building regulation drawings for this rear transformation! The existing conservatory is being replaced with a fully insulated garden room extension to create a much more usable year-round living space.

The new vaulted ceiling and large glazed gable completely change the feel of the rear of the house, creating a much stronger connection to the garden and turning the space into somewhere our clients can sit and enjoy their garden all year round.

A proper upgrade from the classic “freezing in winter, boiling in summer” conservatory setup 😅

Starting on site next month, we’re very excited to see this one come to life! Our design work included provision for a s...
07/05/2026

Starting on site next month, we’re very excited to see this one come to life! Our design work included provision for a sizeable single storey extension which we split into two elements to deal with the awkward roof junctions. This also allowed us to sneak in a first floor balcony off the master bedroom 😍

The extension creates one gigantic kitchen / diner / living / everything space (swipe for snap shot of floor plan sheet), all opening out onto our client’s gorgeous cottage garden and views over the Derbyshire countryside beyond.

Dreamy!!

One of our current schemes is this amazing Georgian home in North East Derbyshire. The building is listed so we need to ...
06/05/2026

One of our current schemes is this amazing Georgian home in North East Derbyshire. The building is listed so we need to act sensitively.

We have started with a modest stone extension to the side (the sides and rear of this property are stone), looking modest from the front, but from the rear (which can’t be seen from the street) the extension kinks in and out.

Conservative from the street, crazy from the rear… (attempt at foiling the planning system!) 😏

It’s not often a floor plan blows my mind, but just look at this beast of a farm building!A bit of a rare one for us, fo...
23/04/2026

It’s not often a floor plan blows my mind, but just look at this beast of a farm building!

A bit of a rare one for us, focusing purely on the internals. No extensions, just making the absolute most of what’s already there.

We spent hours working through the layout, looking at how to improve the flow, use the space better and bring in more natural light… all within the challenge of it being soooo long!

The aim was to take a pretty dated plan and turn it into something that actually works for modern living, without losing the character of the historic building.

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Matlock

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Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

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