Paragraph 55: The Original Policy for Isolated Homes in the Countryside

On 27th March 2012, the Government issued new national planning guidance entitled the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and this replaced PPS7. Significantly, the provision that allowed for the erection of houses of exceptional quality and innovative nature of design in the countryside was retained in the new national planning policy guidance.

At paragraph 55 of the NPPF, the guidance advised local planning authorities that they should avoid new isolated homes in the countryside unless there are ‘special circumstances’.

It is clear from the wording of the paragraph 55 that some of the more difficult terms in paragraph 11 of PPS7 were not carried forward into the NPPF. For example, terms such as ‘very occasionally planning permission will be granted…’ and ‘such a design should be ground-breaking’ no longer appear in the policy wording. In addition, it is significant to note that the design of dwellings can now either be truly outstanding or innovative, but they do not have to be both.

Whilst there is no doubt that the challenges presented by the requirements of paragraph 55 (bullet point 4) of the NPPF set a high bar for proposals, and rightly so, the removal from the policy wording of some of these more difficult terms was welcomed, particularly the terms ‘very occasionally’, which inferred few and far between, and ‘ground-breaking’ which had always proven almost impossible to demonstrate in practice.