Building a New Home in the Countryside: Paragraph 79 Guide

special dispensation due to outstanding design meant that this home was granted planning permission to be built in the countryside
This home was given special dispensation due to its outstanding design and was therefore granted planning permission to be built in the countryside (Image credit: Seymour-Smith Architects)

Building a new home in the countryside is a dream for many but the planning laws make it a very difficult venture to pursue. However, there is an exception cause in the planning law that can offer a glimmer of hope in making building in a rural area a reality.

Since 1997, Planning Policy Guidance 7 (PPG7) along with its successors, firstly Planning Policy Statement 7 (PPS7) and now, since 2012, Paragraph 55 (now known as Paragraph 79) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), do precisely that. They offer an exemption from all planning permission constraints for individual houses that meet specific criteria, not least of all that they should be architecturally outstanding.

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Jason Orme
Managing Director

The former Editor of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine, Jason is an experienced self builder and has recently finished renovating his 1960s home. Jason is now Managing Director of Future PLC's Homes' portfolio, which includes UK-leading titles such as Ideal Homes, Livingetc and Homes & Gardens. He is also the author of The Self Build Dream. You can catch Jason in the seminar theatres and Advice Centre at many of the Homebuilding & Renovating Shows across the UK.