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A ONCE-DILAPIDATED barn which has been transformed into a luxury eco-friendly home has been short-listed for a prestigious building award that will see it go head-to-head with the new Wembley National Stadium.

The Stone Barn, a 17th Century stone building at Preston Farm, Preston Lane, near Eaglescliffe, Stockton on Tees, is competing against five developments for the title of best Structural Innovation project in the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) National Built in Quality Awards.

The two-storey barn conversion has been short-listed because of its unique use of an internal lightweight steel frame structure - a technique normally used on new-build projects - to strengthen the severely bowed stone walls and support a new pan tile roof.

This allowed much of the barn’s original features to be retained and a new pan tile roof to be added, while the stonework was finished using traditional lime mortar.

“Outwardly, the barn looks pretty much like it would have done in the mid-1600s and blends perfectly with the the other buildings and rural surroundings at Preston Farm,” says developer Chris Richardson, who runs Preston Farm Developments Ltd with partner Paul Devine. “As far as we are aware, it is the first time a barn has been converted using this technique in the North of England and has attracted interest as far afield as Cape Town, South Africa.”

The Stone Barn was put forward for the national award after winning the Structural Innovation category of this year’s LABC’s northern regional awards, after being nominated by Stockton Borough Council.

Its success came a year after Preston Farm Developments’ first venture into property development - the conversion of a redundant coach house and adjacent barn at Preston Farm into three cottages - won third place for best conservation project in the 2007 LABC Built in Quality Awards. First prize went to Alnwick Castle Gardens restaurant.

Says Mr Devine: “We didn’t come into property development to make a killing, but rather stumbled into it. We were running a successful IT company and wanted to try our hand at developing new offices for it here at Preston Farm. As it turned out, we were approached to sell the IT business and this enabled us to invest a lot more time and money into developing Preston Farm.”

At the same time as converting the barn, the businessmen simultaneously carried out an extensive but sympathetic renovation of the original farmhouse adjacent to it and have since converted another rundown farm building into a four-bedroom property, now called The Summer Barn.

“We set out to create properties that were exclusive and high quality, but strictly on a sustainable basis, using renewable materials and building techniques that have the least impact on the environment. We would often say that we were building homes where we would want to live and work, and that’s exactly what has happened,” added Mr Richardson, who has moved into The Stone Barn - next door to Mr Devine, who now occupies the farmhouse.

Local Authority Building Control, which represents all local authority building control departments in England and Wales, will announce the winners of the National Built in Quality Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on Thursday, October 16.

As well as Wembley, The Stone Barn in also competing against the MK40 Tower in Milton Keynes, the B&Q Warehouse in Derby and property developments in Cardiff and Chippenham, in Wiltshire.

Preston Farm Developments is currently turning a three-bedroomed bungalow at Kirklevington, near Yarm, into a five-bedroomed Dormer-style property - but is preparing to submit plans to Stockton council for “ambitious and exciting” plans for land immediately adjacent to The Stone Barn (www.prestonfarmdevelopments.co.uk)

For further information contact Chris Richardson on 07929 888828.

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