About the project
This dream self build house in open countryside is a triumph, as planning laws make it all but impossible to gain approval. However, the ‘all-but impossible’ – is at the cutting edge of the self build opportunity, and this self build project is a result of exemption clauses in planning law, which offers some hope to those that are looking to self build in open countryside.
Sounds exciting, doesn’t it. And that’s because it is. This earth sheltered home in North Somerset is a good example: when the design is right it can unlock planning barriers and result in an acceptable planning application supported by the Local Authority.
For more information about open countryside houses, and the opportunities that are available why not arrange a FREE 15-minute call with Architect Garry Thomas who is willing to discuss the possibilities that are open to you in your local area. Find out more here : https://www.thomasstudio.co.uk/request-free-15-min-call-back-with-architect-garry-thomas/
Whilst peripheral planning issues also need to be overcome such as highways, ecology and the 5-year housing land supply, we’re talking here about a home that is at the top of its self build class.
The client is a patron of fine architecture, and has allowed the creation of a dream eco – home in a brilliant location to evoke the Mendip Hills in which it is located.
Why aren’t more people doing it? Well, let’s establish some key rules upfront.
Ever wanted to build your own home in the open countryside?
How about a home that would not only be the envy of your friends but also an architectural icon?
For so many, since 1997, Planning Policy Guidance 7 (PPG7) along with its successors:- Planning Policy Statement 7 (PPS7); since 2012, Paragraph 55 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF); and from July 2021 Paragraph 80 enables houses in the open countryside. They offer an exemption from all planning constraints for individual houses that meet specific criteria, not least of all that they should be architecturally outstanding.
At Thomas Studio we get excited about any piece of planning law that lets our clients build what they otherwise could not. The fact that the unassuming few words of planning law allows them to push the boundaries of their self-build dreams and create something truly outstanding encourages us to deliver all the more.
The process to bring about a paragraph 80 house is iterative and can be a time consuming and expensive, given the consultants needed to prepare a viable ‘outstanding’ proposal.
“In a way, self builders all want what Paragraph 80 offers. Who after all wouldn’t want a really cool new house in the open countryside. Who wouldn’t want to feel like they are building a new home in a long line of historical country houses. Who wouldn’t fancy the potentially huge uplift in value that could be brought to a plot of land in an isolated open countryside location.” says architect Garry Thomas.
For more information about open countryside houses, and the opportunities that are available why not arrange a FREE 15-minute call with Architect Garry Thomas who is willing to discuss the possibilities open to you in your local area. Find out more here : https://www.thomasstudio.co.uk/request-free-15-min-call-back-with-architect-garry-thomas/
