Paragraph 84 of the National Planning Policy Framework provides a mechanism for building new houses in the open countryside. From the inception of land use policy the direction had been to restrict new housing in the ‘open countryside’ (other than for essential agricultural, forestry of fishery needs), seeking to protect agricultural land and sustain the character of rural England. More recently as a mechanism to address the effects of climate change there is a requirement for new development to be located in sustainable locations, i.e. as a part of existing built up areas (cities, towns and villages). Whilst these policies were successful in their aims they stifled scope for sustaining a valued component of the English rural environment, the Country House. In 1997 John Gummer, the then Environment Secretary introduced a new policy to re-invigorate the tradition of the English Country House.
NPPF, Paragraph 84
As ‘Gummer’s Law’ became part of the National Planning Policy Framework (the NPPF) in 2012 it was assigned a reference paragraph number. This number has changed as the NPPF has expanded and as of 2025 it is referenced as paragraph 84. The result being that new houses promoted through this policy channel are referred to as ‘Paragraph 84 Houses’.
The text of paragraph 84 itself has changed along with its reference number although its intent has remained the same. Previously requiring that a proposed building be technologically advanced the current requirement is that: “the design is of exceptional quality, in that it:
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i. is truly outstanding, reflecting the highest standards in architecture, and would help to raise standards of design more generally in rural areas; and
ii. would significantly enhance its immediate setting, and be sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area.”
While these descriptions may seem quite vague and accommodating, they are in fact setting an incredibly high standard which must be met by a proposal. It takes a substantial input and creative expertise of a multidisciplinary team to demonstrate that such a proposal can meet this high test and often necessarily requires lengthy design and narrative iteration with the local planning authority and Design Review Panels.​
Analysis of the historic environment provides an important evidence base (of both the local area’s defining characteristics, and of truly outstanding buildings of the highest standards in architecture) to inform the design process and to demonstrate that the defining qualities of an area are properly understood. At Worlledge Associates we have seen how such a narrative helps to engage key stakeholders and provides a ‘golden thread’ linking building traditions, landscape character and new design to help deliver a project and sustain the tradition of the Country House.
Our work to interrogate the heritage evidence base and work alongside other building and landscape professionals to inform discussions have help support successful projects for paragraph 84 dwellings, including within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), an incredibly high bar and an accomplishment matched by few others.
