Now working habits have changed because of lockdown, more people are thinking of moving away from the cities and into countryside homes. With people confined to their homes for the majority of 2020, lockdown has caused an increasing number of city dwellers to rethink their current surroundings and yearn for greener pastures and open spaces.
Planning firm Urbanist Architecture has reported a surge in enquiries for homes in the countryside, a trend seen as a direct result of the Covid-19 crisis, with the practice seeing a 65 per cent increase compared to Q4 of 2019.
Prior to Covid-19, around two-thirds of our projects were focused in highly desirable London boroughs such as Westminster, Islington, Camden and Greenwich, with work ranging from extensions to new build homes and flat conversions. Those working in London wanted to build a life in the city and its sought-after Zone 2/3 suburbs, and a fast commute into Zone 1 was, more often than not, a deciding factor when our clients were deciding where to live. But more and more clients are coming to us looking for large plots of land in truly rural locations, with many deciding to ditch city life and the daily commute for good in the wake of the pandemic. Ufuk Bahar, MD Urbanist Architecture
Planning Policy Encouraging Move to Countryside
Urbanist Architecture also attributes increased demand to being able to gain permission to build new homes using a section of the National Planning Policy Framework that relates to sustainable new build homes in the open countryside.
With enquiries for rural dwellings up 42 per cent in Q2 of this year and then increasing to 65 per cent as we enter Q4, we expect more and more people to be asking for this kind of planning application - which offers them the chance to build their dream home in the country. Mark Morris, Planning Consultant
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