We help landowners and homeowners build eco-homes, extend their homes, and create unique holiday homes that gain planning permission and pay them back. RIBA Chartered Architects.
An HO11 home in the Cotswolds, currently in planning. The site and its constraints direct the form.
Introduction – Building Under Policy HO11(1)(e)
Thinking about building a home in the Cotswolds or the Midlands countryside? For most, planning authorities will firmly say “no.” Policy HO11 is the exception, and since August 2026 it has been Policy HO11 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The policy allows for exceptional new homes in open countryside, where new housing would normally be refused.
The HO11 policy has a long history (previously paragraph 84, and before that paragraphs 80, 79, 55 and PPS7). Still, its aim is consistent: to allow rare, outstanding projects that can justify their place in sensitive rural settings.
For landowners, this can unlock real potential. A site with little prospect of development may, with the right design, achieve permission and add significant value. For many, it’s a chance to create a one-off home in the countryside of the highest quality.
In this article, we will look at what HO11(1)(e) is, how best to attain it and important considerations before you apply for it or purchase a site.
From paragraph 84 to HO11: what changed
The August 2026 NPPF dropped paragraph numbers and replaced them with lettered policy references. Paragraph 84 became policy HO11, and paragraph 84(e), the design route people mean when they talk about a paragraph 84 house, became HO11(1)(e). The rural worker’s dwelling route in paragraph 84(a) is now HO11(1)(a).
Why HO11 Matters in the Cotswolds & Midlands
Large parts of the region sit in the Cotswolds National Landscape or the West Midlands Green Belt. In a National Landscape, HO11(1)(e) is a live route. In the Green Belt, it is not a route on its own: a new house is inappropriate development under policy GB6 unless it falls within one of the GB7 exceptions, so the case has to be made as Very Special Circumstances under GB6(2). Exceptional design can carry weight in that argument, but it won't carry the argument by itself. Check which designation your land is in before anything else.
In parts of the Midlands, such as Warwickshire or Worcestershire, rural land can be up to 50% cheaper than comparable areas in the Home Counties, making the policy and the location especially attractive for those balancing lifestyle with investment. One of the biggest advantages of HO11 exceptional home developments is that, generally speaking, the land is significantly cheaper than developable land, i.e. land where planning is in favour of development.
BTW: HO11 is not the only route to rural development. My free guide sets out numerous other routes you are unlikely to be aware of.
What defines a HO11 Home?
The policy wording is ambitious. HO11(1)(e) now sets two tests that must both be met. It says the design must be “of exceptional quality,” “truly outstanding,” and should “help to raise standards of design more generally in rural areas.” It also has to significantly enhance its immediate setting and be sensitive to the defining characteristics of the local area.
Architecture that makes its case
An HO11 home has to justify being built where new housing would normally be refused. Good taste won’t get it there. The policy asks for design that is “truly outstanding”, and that significantly enhances its immediate setting. Few schemes reach that standard, and only a small number of UK architects have taken an HO11 home from application through to approval, us being one of them.Sustainability as a starting point
HO11 homes are expected to lead on energy performance, materials and long-term resilience. Sustainability has to be designed into the form, the orientation, the materials and the method of construction. The inclusion of solar panels on an otherwise normal home will not be sufficient to make the case.A response to the site
The building has to belong to its setting. That means drawing on local materials and building traditions, then working with the particulars of the site: its slope, its key views, and its relationship to any historic buildings nearby.Evidence the project can be delivered
Good-looking drawings won’t carry an HO11 application. Decision-makers want proof the house can be built to the standard shown in the drawings and visuals, with the right consultants and capable builders able to deliver the work.
Interior of an HO11 countryside home by Markos Design Workshop, an oak-frame design with open-plan living and countryside views across the Malvern Hills.
HO11 Home house examples
A HO11 home we are working on is the Cotswold Retreat, currently in planning in the Cotswolds National Landscape. The Cotswolds Design Code leans towards Cotswold stone and pitched roofs, so a contemporary house there is made even more challenging due to the local design guides.
The case we are making is that the vernacular was itself a response to local stone, craft and climate, and a new house can follow that logic without copying its look.
The case we are making is that we can use much of the vernacular materials used locally, such as Cotswold stone, but apply it through contemporary methods and construction techniques.
The design uses lime render on curved walls, a timber-clad cylindrical wing, locally sourced stone at the base and a sustainably grown timber frame, which is locally felled. The site already had a mature oak and a natural pond, and the house was designed around both. That is the second HO11(1)(e) test, enhancing the immediate setting, and it is the one most schemes underweight.
It hasn’t been decided yet, and I will update this article when it is.
Markos Design Workshop’s opinion on HO11 Homes.
Here is my opinion on HO11, from well over a decade’s experience:
If you’re buying a countryside plot, don’t assume it will qualify for an HO11 home. Wanting to build one doesn’t make the site suitable. Green Belt land, poor access, or a plot that isn’t genuinely isolated can rule it out before design starts. Most weeks someone contacts me after buying a site they never checked. Our Pre-Design service tests that before you commit.
Design quality is critical. HO11 turns on exceptional architecture, so you need an architect whose work you like, but also who has experience delivering a HO11 home. The design has to be particular to the site, and this is why you need to work with a practice that has experience in this type of work.
If you already own a plot, HO11 is well worth exploring. It isn't the only route. Depending on the site, other routes may be worth putting on the table alongside it: very special circumstances under policy GB6(2) in the Green Belt, or a rural worker's dwelling under HO11(1)(a) where there is a genuine working need.
Raising Standards in Rural Design
A HO11 home must demonstrably raise the standards of design in the local area. We always approach this from a site-specific perspective: materials selected from the site or its immediate context, construction techniques that respond to local conditions, or a deeply integrated environmental approach that draws on natural materials. The home has to set a precedent, not just for itself, but for what good rural architecture can look like in that area.
How HO11 Decisions Are Made
Decisions for HO11 homes are usually made by the local planning committee. In some cases, a scheme may also go before a design review panel for additional scrutiny:
Planning committees are made up of elected councillors. Their role is to represent local communities; this means decisions can sometimes feel political. Objections carry weight, and councillors are often wary of approving a controversial scheme. Very few committee members are trained in design, so the outcome can be inconsistent and sometimes frustrating.
Design review panels are different. These involve independent architects, planners and landscape specialists who give professional feedback on whether a design genuinely meets the “exceptional quality” threshold. Their advice is not binding, but in practice, a positive review can strengthen your case considerably. In some authorities, a review is a requirement before an HO11 application is even considered. One of the advantages of this, if it happens, is that the members of a design review panel typically have a good understanding of design quality.
Delegated officer decisions. Typically, delegated decisions are used for smaller projects that are less contentious; therefore, an HO11 home is highly unlikely to be approved through this route.
In practice, HO11 decisions are inconsistent. The same design might be approved in one district and refused in the next. Cotswold District and Stratford-on-Avon tend to be more open to ambitious schemes; other authorities are far stricter. Even between neighbouring counties, the interpretation varies. This is why strategy matters: success depends on a clear planning case, early engagement with officers, and a design strong enough to stand up to both professional and political scrutiny.
Are HO11 homes expensive?
The short answer is yes, they are more expensive than a conventional house. The requirement for design quality, sustainability and consultant input inevitably pushes costs up.
That said, there are effective ways to control costs. One mistake I see is homes that have been designed to be larger than what the client in fact requires, often becoming a vanity project. Bigger spaces are not necessarily better. A well-planned 157m² home can meet a family’s needs just as well as a 210m² one, sometimes better, depending on the spatial arrangement internally, but at a far lower cost.
At around £3,900 per square metre, the larger scheme might total £819,000, compared with £612,000 for the smaller, a saving of more than £200,000 simply by being critical about the space that’s genuinely required.
The priority should be on designing well-considered and utilised spaces.
What Is the Likelihood of HO11 Approval?
Approval rates vary widely between local authorities, and there is no reliable national figure. Schemes that have been through an independent design review panel go to committee in a much stronger position.
What makes the difference is usually preparation. Projects that succeed are the ones that:
Engage early with the local authority.
Take the scheme to an independent design review panel for professional scrutiny.
Assemble the right consultant team to cover landscape, ecology, heritage and sustainability.
HO11 approval can potentially add £100,000s to the value of your land.
If you have a plot of land in a rural area without planning permission, it will not necessarily be worth that much. Once planning permission is granted, particularly for a home, the value of the land can rise significantly overnight.
Professional Fees for HO11 Homes
HO11 is not cheap from a professional fee perspective. To stand a chance, you need the right consultants: landscape, ecology, planning, sustainability, and often input from a Design Review Panel. On top of that, surveys on things like trees, highways, and heritage are all required before you even get near a decision. This is why pre-construction costs usually sit somewhere between £30,000 and £100,000.
The way we manage HO11 projects is to de-risk projects where possible. This may involve undertaking a pre-application to gain early feedback from the council.
It doesn’t remove the risk completely (nothing can under HO11), but it does give clients more control and stops projects from turning into blind leaps of faith.
Concept design for an ongoing HO11 countryside home — site plan showing orientation, sun path and integration with the rural landscape.
Choosing a HO11 Architect
Questions you should ask before you appoint an architect:
Have you taken a Paragraph 84 or HO11 scheme through pre-application, design review or committee? What happened?
Will you tell me if my site can’t meet the test? An architect who says yes to every site is selling fees, not advice.
Who will be on the consultant team for landscape, ecology, planning and sustainability, and who leads it?
This is what our Pre-Design Report is for. It tests your site against HO11 before you commit to a full design: the planning route, the risks, the consultants you will need and a realistic cost. If the site doesn’t stack up, you find out before spending £30,000 to £100,000 on pre-construction costs.
Final Thoughts
HO11 is one of the most challenging routes in UK planning, but also one of the most rewarding. When handled properly, it can unlock land value and deliver a truly exceptional countryside home.
If you’re considering a project in the Cotswolds or Midlands and want to explore whether HO11 could work for your site, get in touch by booking a free 20-minute call with me. I’m happy to review your options and give you a realistic picture of the process.
