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PLANNING INSIGHTS

Does PPS 21 still apply to a countryside house in Northern Ireland?

Many people still talk about Planning Policy Statement 21: Sustainable Development in the Countryside (PPS 21) as if it is the rulebook for every rural house in Northern Ireland. It is not. In some council areas PPS 21 remains a starting point for a countryside application. In others it has already ceased to have effect, and the council’s adopted Plan Strategy is now the operational policy.

That distinction matters before you spend money on drawings, or assume that a familiar test such as a dwelling on a farm or a replacement house will be assessed in the same way everywhere. This article explains how to tell which framework applies. It is general information, not an assessment of any particular site.

What the Strategic Planning Policy Statement says

Regional policy is set out in the Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS), Edition 2, published in December 2025. The SPPS must be taken into account in the preparation of Local Development Plans, and it is material to decisions on individual planning applications.

Under the transitional arrangements in the SPPS (paragraphs 1.7 to 1.9), the existing suite of Planning Policy Statements, including PPS 21, is retained until a council adopts a Plan Strategy for the whole of its area. During that period, planning authorities apply the retained policies together with the SPPS. The Department for Infrastructure retained planning policy page (last updated 15 January 2026) confirms the same position: the retained policies will be cancelled when all eleven councils have adopted a Plan Strategy.

The important local effect is this. Once a council adopts its Plan Strategy, policy retained under the transitional arrangements “shall cease to have effect in the district of that council and shall not be material from that date, whether the planning application has been received before or after that date” (SPPS, paragraph 1.9). In that district, countryside housing proposals are then assessed against the adopted Plan Strategy, the SPPS, and any other material considerations that still apply to the site. They are not assessed against PPS 21.

Any conflict between the SPPS and a retained policy must be resolved in favour of the SPPS. Where the SPPS is silent or less prescriptive, that does not lessen the weight of the retained policy (SPPS, paragraph 1.10).

Councils where a Plan Strategy has already been adopted

As at November 2026, official adoption statements confirm that the following councils have adopted a Plan Strategy. In these districts, PPS 21 no longer has effect:

The Plan Strategy is the first of two Local Development Plan documents and sets the operational policies for the district. The second document, the Local Policies Plan, will deal with detailed zonings and had not been adopted in these districts when this article was prepared. Until it is in place, existing area plans and other material considerations that still apply to the site also need to be checked.

We have not reproduced each council’s countryside housing policies here. They must be read in the official adopted Plan Strategy. The tests may be similar in purpose to the familiar PPS 21 routes, but they are not automatically the same.

Councils where PPS 21 is still applied

As at November 2026, the following councils had not adopted a Plan Strategy. Until they do, countryside applications continue to be assessed against the existing area plans, the SPPS and the retained Planning Policy Statements, including PPS 21:

Several of these councils have published a draft Plan Strategy, or are preparing one. A draft plan can be a material consideration, but only to the extent justified by the stage it has reached. It does not replace PPS 21 until a Plan Strategy is adopted.

This list can change. Before you commit to a design, confirm the current position with the relevant planning office, or ask us to check it as part of a site appraisal.

What this means for a countryside house

If PPS 21 still applies to the site, Policy CTY 1 sets out the types of individual dwelling that may, in principle, be acceptable outside a settlement. These include a dwelling in an existing cluster (Policy CTY 2a), a replacement dwelling (Policy CTY 3), a small gap or infill site within a substantial and continuously built-up frontage (Policy CTY 8), and a dwelling on a farm (Policy CTY 10). Conversion and reuse of an existing building is considered under Policy CTY 4. Even where a policy route appears to exist, the proposal must still be acceptably sited and designed, and must meet other requirements including access and drainage. Policies CTY 13 and CTY 14 deal with integration, design and rural character. Policy CTY 16 deals with development that relies on non-mains sewerage.

Those routes are explained on our rural planning, farm dwellings, replacement dwellings, infill sites and barn conversions pages, and in our article on getting planning permission for a house in the countryside.

If your site is in a district with an adopted Plan Strategy, do not assume that a PPS 21 heading such as “CTY 10” or “CTY 3” is still the test. Read the equivalent policy in that Plan Strategy, and consider the SPPS and the planning history of the site. Design guidance in the Department’s Building on Tradition guide remains listed by the SPPS as a document that continues to be treated as a material consideration, and it is still useful official advice on rural siting and design.

Frequently asked questions

Can I rely on PPS 21 if my application was submitted before the Plan Strategy was adopted?
Not if the council has since adopted its Plan Strategy. The SPPS is clear that retained policy ceases to have effect in that district from the date of adoption, whether the application was received before or after that date.

Does an adopted Plan Strategy mean I can no longer build a house in the countryside?
No. It means the council’s own operational policies apply, together with the SPPS and other material considerations. Whether a particular site has a realistic policy route is a site-specific question.

Is a draft Plan Strategy enough to ignore PPS 21?
No. Until a Plan Strategy is adopted, retained PPS 21 policy continues to be applied alongside the SPPS in that district. The draft may carry some weight, but it does not cancel PPS 21.

Does the same answer apply to farm dwellings, infill and replacements?
Yes, in the sense that all of those proposals are assessed under whichever operational policy is in force in that council area. The detailed criteria still have to be read in the relevant document.

Can you guarantee which policy the council will apply?
We can check the current adopted position and advise on the realistic options. Only the council can determine an application.

Request planning help

If you are considering a countryside house anywhere in Northern Ireland, we can confirm which policy framework applies to the site and whether a realistic route appears to exist before you commit to detailed drawings.

Request planning help by telephoning 028 9591 6888, emailing info@niplanningpermission.co.uk, or using the enquiry form at https://niplanningpermission.co.uk/contact-us/. The live form includes a captcha. Please include the site location and a short description of your proposal. Patrick O’Reilly, Senior Planning Consultant at NI Planning Permission Ltd, is a chartered planner and a Full Corporate Member of the Irish Planning Institute (MIPI).

This article is for general information only. It is not planning advice for a specific site, a site appraisal, or a guarantee of planning permission. Always check the current position with the relevant council planning office.

Official sources