Major reforms to the planning system have been announced that will ease restrictions on the conversion of disused farm buildings into residential properties.
The measures are also to be extended to designated landscapes, including National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).
The planning system reforms were unveiled by Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a recent 'levelling up' speech made in Blackpool.
The announcement is a major victory for rural groups and campaigners, following a period of intense lobbying for a change in planning rules.
Making it easier to convert thousands of redundant farm buildings into homes on farmland and in designated landscapes is a key policy of the Country Land and Business Association's (CLA) Rural Powerhouse campaign.
Commenting on the lobbying win, CLA President Mark Tufnell said the reforms were a "step in the right direction."
“Rural communities everywhere see talented people forced to leave because of the lack of housing," he added.
"This brain drain holds back the rural economy, depriving our small villages of workers, entrepreneurs, and consumers.
"These reforms will create new jobs, encourage more people to live and work in rural areas and allow rural businesses to grow for the benefit of communities across the country."
Urging the government to continue on this path of reform, Mr Tufnell said there was "tremendous untapped economic potential" in the countryside.
With the right policies, rural businesses could add another £43 billion to the national economy, he said.
"We encourage the prime minister now to be bold, and bring forward a robust and ambitious plan to create new growth in our rural communities.”
