The new planning policy aims to support British architects to design country houses that future generations will be proud of.

President of RIBA welcomed the move as a "brave and vital endorsement by government of the value of excellence in design".

However, several countryside groups spoke against the plans saying they weakened the protection of agricultural land and the ability to conserve rural communities from unsustainable development.

What do you think of the changes in rural planning policies? How will it impact the appearance of Britain's countryside? Send us your views.

This debate is now closed. Thank you for your comments.

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

Why do innovative designs now have to take precedence over traditional ones? What's wrong with judging each planning application on its merits, cutting edge or otherwise. I'm so sick of this government and their endless pathetic recommendations to introduce some sort of bias into every aspect of our lives.
Claudine

Provided that the new houses do not cost the earth and are available for locals then I am sure a lot of people will not care what design they are.
Dominic, Plymouth, UK

Tasteful and sympathetic modern architecture, built to last, should be encouraged Clare, Buxton, Derbys

I'm a country girl and must admit, I do prefer to look at traditional houses built centuries ago, but if all we do is build mock versions of these, then what will our generations mark be in history. The Tudors, the Georgians, and then the No Imaginations! Tasteful and sympathetic modern architecture, built to last, should be encouraged if new housing is required in rural areas.
Clare, Buxton, Derbys

I love modern designs. They tend to be unusual and feature none of the boring period features that so many oldies love. Cornicing is ugly! Why do people like it so much?
Lianne, Manchester, England

About time too - let's have some creative thinking and start building modern, efficient housing. I don't want to live in a theme-park landscape that looks back to some mythical golden-age of the countryside. Britain needs houses - the planning authorities should get out of the way and let the demand be met using modern, innovative techniques.
David Moran, Nr Aberdeen, Scotland

Another example of how much New Labour hates England Phil, UK

Disaster. Many of us like the country not just for its open spaces but because the architecture we find there is somehow comfortable and traditional. This is yet another example of how much New Labour hates England.
Phil, UK

Modern architects scour the planet. Avoid their offerings at all costs. Keep buildings traditional but modern.
David, Cornwall, UK

Thank God! As a countryside dweller I long for being able to dream of building something that I want, and not something that 'fits in' with the 60s council estates at the other end of the village!
Sean Jenkins, Somerset, UK

This is just another ploy to concrete over the south by New Labour. No green field should ever be built on in the south, only pre-spoilt 'brown field' land. New Labour will not be content until the entire south looks like Hong Kong. There is no problem with new designs getting built as the 'gherkin' tower in London shows.
James St George, London England

It shouldn't come as a surprise - this government has been out to destroy our countryside from the start, whether in economic policy, dumping murdered cattle on us, penalising us for driving where there are no alternatives and now seeking to further ruin the appearance of our home.
Diane, Bucks

Accept the fact we aren't in a Charles Dickens' novel Alison, Edinburgh, Scotland

I don't understand why people are upset about this idea, people need to live somewhere and if they want to move out to the countryside, they should be able to. And not have to live in a seriously over inflated prices to have the privilege to live in a cramped cottage that costs thousands to keep running. Any concerns about over development and incompatible designs can be rectified through planning. We should be more open minded and accept the fact we aren't in a Charles Dickens' novel. We have internet connections and the environment to save! Face up to facts, we live in the 21st century and the more houses like those featured on Grand Designs the better.
Alison, Edinburgh, Scotland

I think its about time some innovation in design was encouraged. We already have so many traditional boxes that you have to buy an older house if you want style or space. Whilst the high end houses will lead any design innovations its in the middle market where some real benefits could be delivered. But lets not compromise on building practice, we have all seen the effects of building pre-fads.
Rex Lester, Chessington UK

Building any new houses is a scam simply to keep up the appearance of prosperity. There are literally hundreds of thousands of empty properties through out England. In Lancaster where I come from there are over two and a half thousand vacant properties. These ought to be put to good use and stop the tarmac from spreading over what's left of our countryside.
Steve, Lancaster, UK

Hopefully this will mean an end to the horrible mock-Tudor, mock-Georgian and heritage style housing Jo, Brighton, UK

Hopefully this will mean an end to the horrible mock-Tudor, mock-Georgian and heritage style housing that is currently blighting our small villages. Beautiful modern buildings with all the green features - sustainable development - should be the way forward not tiny fake boxes as in Poundbury.
Jo, Brighton, UK

I think that UK should take a lesson from Singapore, which almost lost its traditional and historic part of the city (mainly houses) to modern development and now having realized the importance and richness of traditional part of the city; is struggling to restore it.
Mrunal Jadav, Vancouver, Canada.

Why does this government wish to destroy everything British it can possibly find? Isn't it enough that the cities are ugly, why must the countryside be too?
Tom, England

Just what we need, one of the last few things this country can be proud of (the countryside) being bulldozered over for the sake of building naff cutting edge houses that will be outdated by the time the architect's drugs wear off.
Bill, Stoke, England

Once again, Mr Blair is trying to paint over the past, and trying to produce a uniform Britain. The countryside should be left well alone by city dwellers like Mr Blair, and left to manage itself. It has managed this way for thousands of years, before cities even existed.
Andy, UK

Modern architects should be heard but not seen! Stephen Dawson, London

How will it impact the appearance of Britain's countryside? It will turn our wonderful rustic charm into an eyesore similar to our capital. There'll be gherkins and houses with their heating ducts on the outside everywhere. HRH Prince Charles was right when he said that, "at least the Germans left us some decent looking rubble". Modern architects should be heard but not seen!
Stephen Dawson, London

Why can't architects design a house that is modern yet fits in with the country? How many tourists go to the country to see modernistic square glass houses with solar panels? None, yet they flock to traditional villages so if you want to keep the tourist revenue coming why not use the best of both?
Duncan, Salisbury, UK

Innovation could be a good thing provided it fits in with existing surroundings. I would be sorry to see a badly placed eyesore in a country village, but a well designed modern building might work well in the right setting.
Paul, UK

This is a tremendous opportunity to start to innovate integrate energy efficient buildings. Solar PV tiles generating power, small scale wind power, lots more natural light. The future's bright, the future's green...!
Andrew, Leighton Buzzard

Ah, another one of Blair's ways to change the face of Britain. I don't think most of us who would like to live in the country would fancy living in a cutting edge home. Give me a traditional cottage every time - it can still be made energy-efficient.
Andy H, Manchester, England

Has time magically stopped and I wasn't told about it? Michael S Nowak, Pittsburgh

As an architect I think it is extremely important to preserve the image of the countryside by placing it in a time capsule and randomly choosing a quaint and cosy style that makes us all feel happy. In fact, I think the architecture of caves is much more real and therefore we should live in caves because that is a more true representation of the countryside style. Besides, the energy savings of new technology just conflicts with the cute image of smoke drifting across the pastures. Who comes up with this stuff? Who decides that one era or style is any more legitimate than others? Has time magically stopped and I wasn't told about it?
Michael S Nowak, Pittsburgh, USA

To Michael S Nowak, Pittsburgh, USA: Exactly... So all the city people with all their money want to undermine countryside villages with their theme park holiday homes... It's time for a change, modernisation.... it's also time to trust the architects that will create the physical and intellectual living spaces of the future... If it's going to stop the modern, schizophrenic city dwellers from moving into the country and destroying the economies of small villages then I'm all for it....
Rico, Sheffield, England

Great idea if done in moderation and with thorough checks to make sure there's not too many ugly developments. We shouldn't treat all rural areas as a museum and frankly there are plenty of less-than-pretty rural areas already. Keep protections on historically significant sites though.
Rob Smith, London, UK

All that will happen is more abortions named modern architecture polluting the countryside. The real reasoning of this Brave new Vital endorsement is the admittance that the UK is running out of land to build houses on and the countryside must provide land at all costs.
Ron, Middlesbrough, UK

We cannot cling on to the past forever Simon, Oxford, England

We cannot cling on to the past forever. There is no such thing as a rural community anymore except in TV land like Emmerdale and the Vicar of Dibley. We should welcome forward thinking government ideas and stop trying to always live in the past.
Simon, Oxford, England

No, no, no, no, no!!! Just look at what's happening in the South East now - every single tiny little bit of green is being built on. We pride ourselves on our beautiful countryside - don't let property developers spoil what little is remaining - this is just an open invitation for developments to spring up left, right and centre, and I can almost guarantee that these properties won't be affordable homes. Why don't they focus on the unsightly, Brownfield areas and derelict buildings first, before simply concreting over our beautiful countryside. It's an absolute scandal that this is even being considered - please, please don't let it happen.
Nicky Flatt, Pinner, Middlesex

Many designer houses generally look ugly and have flat roofs which are bound to leak eventually. Houses should be designed to fit in with their surroundings and last for at least 100 years. If this means building to good old fashioned proven designs then so be it. The architects can go to town on the inner spaces.
Roger Jackson, Stockport, England

Labour presided over the hideous 60s tower blocks, so this is no surprise. Got no class, that's their problem.
Richard, UK

It should be absolutely nobody else's business, certainly not that of the government, the Royal Institute of British Architects, or countryside groups what design of house people choose to build on their own property! On top of that, I would hardly trust those who indulge in such ugly, bureaucratic phraseology as the value of excellence in design to be proper judges of what future generations might be proud of!
John Montgomery, London, UK

Anything is better than countless unimaginative brick boxes Katherine, London, UK

Anything is better than the countless unimaginative brick boxes you see when driving through many unfortunate villages which have been subjected to development. It is possible for modern design to complement and enhance traditional design, but I don't see the reasoning behind it being favoured.
Katherine, London, UK

So much for England's green and pleasant lands, eh? We're ripping apart our beautiful countryside enough as it is at the moment - can't we leave it be - and have a beautiful country that future generations can be proud of, instead?
Laura, a Sussex girl