The term “planning reform” like “tax returns” and “auto insurance” can help people who are not directly involved without having to glaze. But for those who currently live in or intend to move to the UK countryside, attitudes in the sandy heads are not a wise response. Recent changes in government to the laws on what can be constructed, and where and new laws related to sustainable infrastructure could trigger a rural revolution. Or, as Duncan Hartley, planning director for rural solutions at consulting firms, puts it, “Changes in Earthquake Policy, 9.5 on the Richter Scale of 9.5”.
By 2029, the main driving force behind the government’s plan to reach its ambitious goal of delivering 1.5 million new homes (the much needed UK needs) to 1.5 million new homes has introduced the National Planning Policy Framework, revised in December last year. The intention is to have local governments adjust their existing housing targets (in some cases double or triple the current forecast number), and look at the boundaries of the green belt in that area to make sure there are enough sites to build.
One of the most dramatic changes is the introduction of the “gray belt.” This is a new planning concept aimed at facilitating construction within the green belt by allowing the construction of “previously developed land” or other stretches that “do not contribute strongly to the purposes of the green belt. The special character of the historic town.”
A house built in February on something previously farmed in Somerset ©Anna Barclay/Getty Images
In addition to this, the new framework holds the requirement that “slight weight” should be given to proposals that meet climate objectives, and the government is using central levers to fast-forward net-zero targets. These already have meaning to change the landscape.
The broad effect only appears in vision, but what does that mean for current residents and those thinking about moving towards the country?
“It’s hard to imagine there’s an open season in the open countryside,” says Charlie Ellingworth, co-founder of Real Estate Search Agent Property Vision.
It seems unlikely that there will be an open season in an open countryside, but it could be a fair game anywhere on the outskirts of a village or town
Hartley sees the new law as a necessary step, but admits that some homeowners will undoubtedly be adversely affected. He highlights one important change. Previous councils were protected from “sprawls” because the villages considered them “large construction areas,” but “under the new law, the village is specifically excluded from the definition.”
In a landscape that is now uncertain, those looking for country tranquility must take special care when deciding where to buy. The safest place for an uninterrupted greenery and pristine starry night is in the UK’s 15 national parks, protected by a new framework. However, a study conducted by real estate agent Savilles shows that buyers of national park homes already pay a premium of 51% above the county’s average. This could rise.
Elsewhere, protection is more limited, and even national landscapes (formerly known as the field of outstanding natural beauty) have its vulnerability. The National Landscape Association commented that the proposed reforms are likely to “provide major harm to the natural beauty” of these regions, unless development is taken into consideration.
National Park homes, including Peak District, are protected from development, with a premium of 51% average for county neighbours ©Getty Images
Due diligence is intensifying and becoming more complicated to take into account development possibilities. Otherwise, additional expertise is required, such as the purchasing agent sent on the reconnaissance mission, where buyers may be limited to lawyers and surveyors.
“We prepare a report that takes into account areas within a 15-mile radius of the property,” says Mark Lawson, a partner in purchasing solutions that specializes in helping clients buy country houses, farms and real estate at the top of the market. In-depth local research aims to ensure that buyers’ “future pleasures” remain harmless due to disputes over sidewalks and broader planning issues. Particularly detailed watches continue to make new proposals. “We’re running around the area and taking into account whether old industrial buildings and former schools could be the focus of development,” Lawson says.
He and his colleagues are busy revisiting previously rejected planning applications to assess whether it could rise again under the new law. And – therefore, there is no “nasty surprises” – they often prepare computer-generated images of potential infrastructure dangers. “In one example, along the south coast where the proposed wind farm was, we were able to show our clients what we could see from various points of the land.” At the event, “they realized that only the very tip of the turbine can be seen.”
Rural communities are concerned about the impact of proposals introduced to meet the climate. The solar energy target is the current level
Planning consultants are also called early in the House purchasing process. As a result of the law, local governments are attempting to carry out a process known as site appeals, allowing submissions to land that they deem appropriate for development, Hartley warns.
However, he emphasizes: “Planning is one of the most accessible local government services. You can submit your email address to the council to discuss local plans for your area and to notify you of site calls and new planning applications.”
But for many owners and buyers, Hartley also sees the opportunity. “The focus of the news is on House Building, but the policy applies to all forms of development, presenting the scope of (potentially) home offices and leisure facilities,” he says. So now could be the moment to submit a redundant outbuilding or off-writing paddock proposal.
Other potential beneficiaries are those who wish to build their own rural architectural masterpieces permitted under paragraph 84 of the National Planning Policy Framework, which allows for the construction of “isolated homes” of “exceptional quality.” “In the past, we’ve always spoken to clients who want to build a new home that’s important to avoid Greenbelt quite well,” says Hartley. “We’re reviewing the site now,” he says: With the framework revised, the rural solution helped clients get permission to redevelop two separate properties in the Green Belt area of Surrey, which is currently designated as a Grey Belt.
The government is working on development. It makes sense if economic growth is needed. If you want to live your dreamland lifestyle, it’s not
Meanwhile, Ellingworth points out growing concern among rural communities about the impact of proposals introduced to achieve climate objectives. In 2024, renewable technology accounts for just 50% of UK electricity production, and the Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary of State believes solar energy plays a vital role. As part of the “Clean Power Sprint” through 2030, he hopes to supply three times the current level from under 5%. He is also changing the planning approval process for wind turbines, making large-scale development decisions in the hands of governments rather than local councils.
“The spread of wind on land, solar farms and pylons transports sustainable electricity into the countryside (often seem random and unpredictable),” warns Ellingworth. “A wind farm requires a very visible hill and hill, and there’s not much you can do to candise pylon pills.”
The proposed view on the Limedown solar park in Wiltshire Solar Park generates clean electricity for 115,000 homes ©Pa Images/Alamy locals worry about the potential impact on landscape, drainage and flooding, heritage and damage to transportation ©PA Images/Alamyy
Or, in fact, the glare of solar farms is felt by those fighting Limedown Solar Park, a 2,000-acre solar farm in Wiltshire (including some of the badminton estate of the Duke of Beaufort in Gloucester).
Over 80% of locals who answered initial consultations about the farm opposed the impact it had on the landscape and the potential damage it caused to biodiversity, drainage and flooding, heritage, transportation, and more. The halting Lime Down sign is scattered across nearby roads, but the project recently completed the second phase of consultation, and is classified as a nationally important infrastructure project. Permission to move on will ultimately lie to the Secretary of State.
Such a scheme can be found on the card. A recent report by Property Vision shows farmers across the country are being approached by green energy companies offering up to £1,000 per acre per year.
According to the Pressure Group, 54 solar farms are already operating or under construction in Wiltshire, according to the suspension of Lime Down.
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Maintaining speed with proposals is to keep the buyer on the toes. It requires recognition and cleverness, but reassure Hartley, things don’t happen overnight. He adds: “Plan agreement always requires acts of balancing complex interests, and similar to the framework of national planning policy, applications are scrutinized through other planning layers, such as local, neighbourhood, and parish planning.
Liam Bailey, global research director at Estate Agent Knight Frank, is less than satisfied. “The government is working on development. This includes building new homes in the (national) landscape and introducing solar panels in untouched fields. It makes sense if economic growth is needed. If you want to live a dreamland lifestyle,
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