PPS 21 Sustainable Development in the Countryside·Page 27·CTY 5
Sequential Location Test for Sites Outside Settlements
A sequential test applies to site selection outside small settlements, prioritizing land adjacent to settlement limits, then degraded sites, then undeveloped sites capable of visual integration.
In assessing the acceptability of sites outside a small settlement, the following sequential test in terms of location will be applied: (a) land adjacent to the existing settlement limit, subject to amenity and environmental considerations; (b) a site close to the settlement limits which currently contains buildings or where the site is already in a degraded or derelict state and there is an opportunity to improve the environment; (c) an undeveloped site in close proximity to the settlement where the development could be visually integrated into the landscape.
Source — /Users/richardhill/Documents/planning-arch-project/data/documents/regional/PPS 21 - Sustainable Development in the Countryside.pdf