A rural location is defined as any settlement with a resident population of fewer than 10,000 people, including rural towns, villages, hamlets and dispersed dwellings, as set out in the Government’s Rural‑Urban Classification (RUC).
To confirm whether a development is located in a rural location, enter the site postcode into:
Web map for Rural Urban Classification (RUC) of Local Authority District Areas (LADs), England and Wales, 2024 | Open Geography Portal
Only locations classified as rural within the RUC system are eligible. This includes areas designated as Majority Rural or Intermediate Rural.
