Tunbridge Wells Borough Council approved the project earlier this month (3 April) to enable works on the medieval-inspired Art and Crafts home in Langton Green, drawn up by the local practice. AOMD said that its design, Kissing Gables, was designed to offer both privacy and connection between overlapping rooms. It said the interiors will consist of rooms overlapping at corners, while a double-height dining and family room will provide views of the large, steeply sloping roof with low-level glazing looking on to a garden terrace.Advertisement At the rear, the home will form an L-shape enclosure of large cat slide roofs, with recessed entrances and subtle arches referencing Arts and Crafts designs such as CFA Voysey's The Homestead. The practice said the scheme also draws inspiration from the nearby village with architectural features including touching tiled gables at right angles. AOMD founder Michael Dillon added: ‘The two building wings are oriented around existing trees and ornamental bushes, at their meeting point creating a natural entrance and verdant front garden featuring new Silver and Downy birches'. AOMD said in its design and access statement that Kissing Gables aimed to be far less intrusive than the previous proposal for the site, which included two homes and was refused in 2018. The council received some 21 objections to the plans, including concerns about overlooking, character, access, drainage and the loss of a young oak tree, which was planted as a condition of removing a mature tree on the site.Advertisement An objection from Owen Hoare of Bristol-based Nimble Planning and Development said: ‘The proposal would result in an alien and incongruous form of backland development which would harm the visual amenity of the surrounding area.’ The scheme’s developer, Caswell&Dainow, specialises in small sites. Its website describes it as able to ‘unlock the hidden potential of buildings, gardens, and in-between spaces’. Kissing Gables is its first project outside London. In 2018, plans to demolish 21 and 23 Newlands and replace them with 10 new homes were refused. Tunbridge Wells-based AOMD was founded by Dillon in 2022. He worked at Stirling Prize-winning Mæ architects for 10 years previously. His last completed building there was the Stirling shortlisted Sands End Arts and Community Centre. Client’s view Caswell & Dainow’s mission is to unlock the potential of underutilised land through exceptional design and intelligent architecture. This goal is consistent whether we’re working in the heart of central London or in the more rural areas of the home counties. Every village and town holds untapped space and opportunities, and our Langton Green project demonstrates that it’s possible to create high-quality, sustainable family homes without eroding settlement boundaries or resorting to monotonous, cookie-cutter housing across greenfield sites. Architect Michael Dillon of AOMD brought together the perfect blend of experience and local knowledge with the practice located just a few miles from the site. Their deep understanding of the local vernacular allowed us to develop a design that is both innovative and respectful of the existing architectural landscape and nearby conservation areas. The development is driven by design ambition—confident, progressive, and poised to contribute meaningfully to the area’s rich built environment. Charlie Caswell, co-founding director, Caswell&Dainow Project data Architect Michael Dillon (AOMD) Client Caswell&Dainow Design 2022-2023 Internal floor area 232m2 Gross (internal + external) floor area 470m2