Paragraph 79 Architecture

Designing Your Dream Home in the Open Countryside with the help of Paragraph 79 (formerly Paragraph 55) Architectural Designers

Most of us at some point in our lives have considered running away and hiding in the countryside where no one can reach you and you can live peace. Your neighbours are animals and there’s not a roof top in sight. You can replace the smell of cooking from the flat above with the smell of fresh air and the only noise pollution is birdsong.

Sounds idyllic, so why are more people not doing it?

The truth is, to get to build your own home in the countryside can be one of the most challenging tasks in the architectural world thanks to Paragraph 79.

Paragraph 79, formerly known as Paragraph 55, is the policy outlined in the National Planning Policy Framework relating to building new isolated homes in the open countryside. It outlines that in order to secure Planning Permission for such a home, the design needs to be of exceptional quality in that it:

• is truly outstanding or innovative, reflecting the highest standards in architecture, and would help to raise standards of design more generally in rural areas; and
• would significantly enhance its immediate setting, and be sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area. 

With this policy in mind, homes in the open countryside are design led, bespoke homes of outstanding quality that are sympathetic to the area in which they are built.

Clients will need to be open minded. The design of outstanding homes, sympathetic to the area in which they are built are not necessarily the exact home you had in mind when you started this process. They need to be innovative, they need to stand out and they need to tell a story. It’s a one off home, designed to set a trend, not follow existing ones.

It is important before starting out on your quest to build the home of your dreams in the open countryside that you know what you would like to achieve. Your home should still cater to your needs not just the Planning Committees. This needs to be discussed with your designer so they can incorporate your wishes in their design to the best of their capabilities within the constraints Paragraph 79 entails.

Taking on a Paragraph 79 House is not for the faint of heart. However, the rewards are substantial. You can leave behind your cramped city pad or your conventional 3 bed semi in the suburbs and live in your one off dream home in the rolling hills of the countryside. The road to making it happen may just be as bumpy long and windy as the single track road to your new driveway but we will be with you every step of the way.

Studio 11 Architecture have significant experience in designing dream homes capable of achieving Planning Permission in the open countryside. With a current planning success rate of 89% we have recently obtained planning approval for one off homes, paragraph 79 houses and self-build plots in the open countryside in the areas of Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire. Our approach to design is modern, innovative and environmentally friendly, taking its inspiration from local vernacular architecture and this means that Studio 11 Architecture can work throughout the UK designing dream homes in the open countryside.

Realise your dream home working with our knowledge of Paragraph 79 Architecture