Acorn Rural Property Consultants has obtained a certificate of lawfulness for an unrestricted dwelling in the countryside. Planning permission had been granted in 1990s for a dwelling at the property subject to an agricultural occupancy condition. We demonstrated using a series of plans and aerial photography that the built dwelling was in a materially different location from that approved by the local planning authority and that it was, therefore, not subject to the terms of the planning permission, including the agricultural occupancy condition. As the dwelling was completed more than 10 years ago, it was also lawful. The LPA accepted the case that we put forward and granted a certificate of lawfulness.

The new NPPF: isolated dwellings
Planning policy has long required special justification for isolated homes in the countryside. The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) identifies limited

