Government guidelines for building new homes in isolated rural settings have changed and developers must now plan for a building which is ‘truly outstanding, reflecting the highest standards in architecture…and significantly enhance its immediate setting, and be sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area’ if it is to qualify as an exception.
Paragraph 80 (previously Paragraph 79) refers to the section of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which sets out the government guidelines for building new isolated homes in rural areas.
The policy was renamed from Paragraph 79 to Paragraph 80 in July 2021, when the government published the revised NPPF. The framework for building new homes in open countryside has largely stayed the same, with one significant change – the design no longer needs to be ‘innovative’.
Paragraph 80 actively dissuades local authorities from approving any development on unbuilt land in a rural setting.
Sustainability has to be at the heart of any potential new design and early dialogue between developers and planners is advisable to maximise the chance of successfully meeting specific detailed criteria as local authorities often have limited experience in handling applications under this measure.
Chances of success appear to be boosted where the site has a backstory, technologies and ecological strategies are proposed that are unique to the site that has had a house in situ before and achieving a sense that the site ‘needs a building’.
Woking with an architect with a focus on environmental design and experience in Passivhaus strategies also helps an application in its acceptance.
Syntegra’s team of professionals has experience of working on sustainability elements of house designs which have been successfully adopted for planning.
Company MD Alan King said: ‘Paragraph 80 makes it very difficult to build in rural settings but we have built up a wealth of experience with architects and developers to put together a successful bid which appeals to planners.
‘We have particular experience in relation to sustainable buildings incorporating environmental best practices and Passivhaus standards. Whether off-grid or net-zero is the aim, we understand the critical-path to success for a design project under these guidelines.’
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