> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thequarry.media/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Luxury underground pavilion planned for protected Vale Mill site - URL: https://www.thequarry.media/luxury-underground-pavilion-planned-for-protected-vale-mill-site/ - Published: 2026-10-28T14:53:11.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-28T14:53:11.000Z - Author: The Quarry - Tags: News - Application to build a 202-square-metre partly underground pavilion set into a quarry face at the Vale Mill site - The scheme includes a master bedroom suite, kitchen and living areas connected to the windmill by tunnel, plus floating sauna and summerhouse pods at water level - The application replaces a previously approved scheme, omitting a two-storey glazed extension to the protected mill in favour of an internal spiral staircase - Materials include reclaimed granite, Corten steel and anthracite aluminium, intended to distinguish contemporary work from the historic structure - The applicant argues the single-level pavilion improves accessibility and adaptability while remaining subordinate to the protected windmill Listen to this article 0:00 /0 1× A substantial residential development featuring a partly underground pavilion, floating sauna and summerhouse has been submitted for planning approval at Vale Mill. Vale Mill Ltd has applied to the Development & Planning Authority for permission to build a 202-square-metre extension at Vale Mill on Hougue du Moulin, centred on the former windmill which is protected under Guernsey law. The application, submitted through JG Architecture Limited in September 2026, proposes a comprehensive scheme including a pavilion set into the face of a water-filled former quarry that occupies much of the 8,575-square-metre site. The pavilion would be connected to the base of the existing windmill by a tunnel beneath the driveway and an external circular rotunda with spiral staircase. The principal level would contain an entrance hall, kitchen, living and dining accommodation, a master bedroom suite with dressing area and ensuite, utility room, pantry, wine store, WC and circulation spaces. A balcony overlooking the quarry and a lower terrace with cantilevered steps providing water access would also form part of the structure. At water level within the quarry, the scheme includes a floating pontoon walkway and two floating pods accommodating a sauna and summerhouse, all to specialist design. Within the protected windmill structure itself, a new internal spiral staircase would be formed within the existing concrete structure, with local openings and partitions providing access to retained residential and observation levels. The application emphasises that all floating structures and external elements are intended to remain ancillary to the private residential use of Vale Mill and would not create separate residential planning units. The scheme also includes parking for two vehicles, bin storage, a kitchen garden and associated landscape works. The application represents a fresh submission following advice from the Development & Planning Authority that the scale and nature of amendments could not be accepted as a variation to a previously approved scheme under reference FULL/2020/0135. That earlier permission had included a pavilion within the quarry and a two-storey glazed entrance extension to Vale Mill. The current application significantly revises this approach, omitting the two-storey glazed entrance extension previously approved. The design employs reclaimed granite, Corten steel with natural weathering finish, anthracite aluminium-framed windows and doors, and glazed balustrades. These materials are intended to distinguish contemporary work from the historic mill while responding to the quarry setting and the robust character of existing stone structures. In its submission, the applicant addresses three principal policies from the Island Development Plan 2016, arguing the development complies with requirements on landscape character, design and householder development. On landscape impact, the application states the principal built element would be placed within the already altered quarry landform rather than open fields, with the pavilion recessed into the quarry face and sitting well below the upper level of the mill and adjoining cottages. "Although the proposal is substantial when considered as a complete scheme, its location, level and material treatment limit its effect on the wider open character. It does not challenge the skyline or the landmark quality of Vale Mill," the application states. On design quality, the submission argues the pavilion has been developed as a contemporary addition subordinate to the protected mill, with a low horizontal form following the quarry edge and a circular rotunda responding to tower geometry without copying historic architecture. The application presents accessibility improvements as a key benefit, stating: "The proposed pavilion materially improves the accessibility and adaptability of the dwelling by bringing all essential day to day accommodation together on a single level." This arrangement, bringing kitchen, living and dining space together with the principal bedroom, dressing area and ensuite, would provide the option for occupants to live predominantly on one floor, reducing reliance on upper mill levels should mobility or care requirements change. The application acknowledges that "accessibility across the wider site is necessarily constrained by the steep former quarry setting and the protected mill structure" but argues it provides "a practical and proportionate improvement to the accessibility and long term adaptability of the dwelling." On the impact to the protected building, the submission argues the special interest of Vale Mill derives principally from its historic granite fabric, tapering circular form, traditional openings, industrial character and prominence. "These defining characteristics are retained. The pavilion and its low level connection remain subordinate and allow the historic tower to stay clearly legible," the application states. It notes that omitting the two-storey glazed entrance extension approved under the previous scheme reduces development attached externally to the mill, with circulation instead provided by an internal spiral stair within the existing concrete structure. On neighbouring amenity, the application argues the development remains ancillary to the established residential use of Vale Mill and would not introduce an additional independent dwelling. The pavilion would be positioned at a much lower level than nearby properties, with the quarry landform and existing vegetation providing substantial visual separation. The submission states that subject to careful control of external lighting and residential use of water level structures, the development would not cause significant loss of privacy, daylight or outlook and would not create an overbearing effect for neighbouring occupiers. The site's quarry landform, earth banks, hedging and mature vegetation create a strongly contained setting, with the mill remaining the dominant landmark. Vale Mill Cottages adjoin the main property. No trees or hedges would be removed under the proposals, and no buildings or structures would be demolished. The existing vehicle entrance from Hougue du Moulin would be retained. Representations about the application can be made until 28 October. ## Q&A **Q: What is being proposed at Vale Mill?** A: A 202-square-metre partly underground pavilion set into a quarry face, connected to the protected windmill by tunnel and rotunda. The scheme also includes floating sauna and summerhouse pods at water level, plus modifications to the mill interior including a new spiral staircase. **Q: How does this application differ from the previously approved scheme?** A: The current application omits a two-storey glazed entrance extension to the mill that was previously approved under reference FULL/2020/0135\. Instead, circulation would be provided by an internal spiral staircase within the existing concrete structure, which the applicant argues reduces development attached externally to the protected building. **Q: What materials would be used in the construction?** A: The design employs reclaimed granite, Corten steel with natural weathering finish, anthracite aluminium-framed windows and doors, and glazed balustrades. These materials are intended to distinguish contemporary work from the historic mill while responding to the quarry setting.