Rural Housing Guidelines

To meet housing targets and support people who want to live and work in rural areas, the Government will ensure a clear and consistent approach to rural housing.

Current Policy

• People who are an intrinsic part of the rural community based on economic or social need should be supported to build homes in rural areas.
• In areas near cities and towns, housing demand is directed into urban centres.
• In rural areas with population decline, anyone wishing to build a home can do so, subject to normal planning and environmental rules.

What’s Changing?

While rural housing remains an important part of annual housing delivery, the policy has not been applied consistently across the country.
To fix this, the Government will publish a National Planning Statement setting out clear planning criteria for rural housing in local authority development plans, based on the National Planning Framework (NPF).