Planning for new homes in rural locations

This means that the location of future development is critical to create new, successful places where people want to work, live and play. The emphasis is on brownfield land, however greenfield land also has a role to play.

The National Planning Policy Framework (2019) allows for certain smaller scale development in rural areas under exceptional circumstances via planning applications. As an alternative approach, you can also seek a Local Plan site allocation, especially if it’s for a larger scale opportunity, for example a settlement extension, new town or garden community.

This plan-led approach is supported by the government. Its Planning for the Future policy paper (March 2020) aims to ensure all local plans are adopted by December 2023, however it is not a straightforward process and can take a number of years to prepare a local plan. This means that it’s beneficial to engage with plan-making sooner rather than later, even if only to submit a basic redline to put a marker down. As part of rural asset management, any land which might be considered to offer future development potential for any use could be considered for local plan promotion. Key policy tests relate to site availability, achievability and suitability, such as access to local facilities.

In September 2019, Knight Frank set up a new Planning team of 20 people operating from offices in London and Bristol, working across all sectors, from public and private landowners to developers, and closely with other internal services, on a range of development projects across the country.

If you would like to engage with a council in respect of your land, please get in touch.

Roland Brass, Planning