Rural Housing Week: Day 4

Today, on day 4 of our Rural Housing Week we’re sharing this article from our newsletter exploring the high standards required when developing Rural Exception Sites.

NOT A BLOT ON THE LANDSCAPE

Good design with high building and ecological standards

We live in a beautiful county, and we have a responsibility to protect and respect the heritage setting and countryside. In Surrey, large areas of the county fall within the Green Belt, Protected Landscapes, Areas of Special Scientific Interest, and some settlement areas are often subject to conservation area regulations.

Housing development on Rural Exception Sites are small in nature and any new housing development needs to meet higher standards of design, building regulations and biodiversity. These include:

Higher standards of energy efficiency, moving to cleaner sources of heat and thus reducing the carbon emissions of new homes. (Future housing and building standards consultation, (updated March 2024)

Biodiversity Net Gain Policy – Developers must improve or create natural habitats by at least 10%. This is mandatory from February 2024.

Local nature recovery strategies – These must be incorporated into the planning system. Thus, new housing developments need to consider creating new habitats and green spaces.

Rural Design standards – Homes England Rural Housing Statement (2023) noted the ambitions in rural areas to “Set high aspirations for beauty, quality, and sustainability which exceed existing standards and regulations were possible”

Recent housing projects in Hambledon Parish and in Betchworth Parish (Poland Meadow, pictured), on Rural Exception Sites, are testament to what quality design and landscaping, sympathetic with its rural setting, can achieve. These show the potential of what can be created in our rural villages and towns.

The Patron of ERHA, HRH The Princess Royal, officially endorsed the publication of ‘A Design Guide: Building Tomorrow’s Rural Communities‘. English Rural describe it as “ a comprehensive tool that aims to transform the approach to affordable housing in rural communities”.

Please get in touch should you wish to work together to deliver local, affordable homes in your rural community.