Outside CAS, the ICAO VFR minima for aeroplanes flying at or below 3000 ft a.m.s.l and 140 KIAS are clear of cloud,
in sight of the surface and 1500m in-flight visibility. If
not in sight of the surface, the minimum in-flight visibility outside CAS (below FL100) is 5km.
Rule 28 para (2):
(2) Subject to paragraphs (3), (4), (5)* and (6)*, an aircraft flying outside controlled airspace below flight level 100 shall remain at least 1,500 metres horizontally and 1,000 feet vertically away from cloud and in a flight visibility of at least 5 km.
is modified by para (3) such that:
Paragraph (2) shall not apply to an aircraft which:
(a) flies at or below 3,000 feet above mean sea level;
(b) remains clear of cloud with the surface in sight; and
(c) is in a flight visibility of at least 5 km.
Note that I've highlighted the word 'aircraft'. Rule 28 para (2) is
further modified for an 'aircraft which is not a helicopter' (such as an
aeroplane or airship) by para (4) as follows:
Paragraph (2) shall not apply to an aircraft which is not a helicopter and which:
(a) flies at or below 3,000 feet above mean sea level;
(b) flies at a speed which, according to its air speed indicator, is 140 knots or less;
(c) remains clear of cloud with the surface in sight; and
(d) is in a flight visibility of at least 1,500 metres.
However, the UK ANO further restricts PPL holders without IMCR/IR to an absolute minimum outside CAS of 3000m in-flight visibility. Additionally, the ANO requires PPL holders without IMCR/IR to be in sight of the surface at all times. For the NPPL(SSEA/SLMG), the restriction is 5km, so para(4) doesn't apply.
Easy way to remember all this (for typical PPL aeroplane drivers below FL100 outside CAS):
VFR = 5 km vis, 1000ft/1500m clear of cloud.
Below 3000ft a.ms.l and in sight of the surface, same vis but 'clear of cloud' - no specific height or distance.
Below 3000 ft a.m.s.l 'clear of cloud' and in sight of the surface
and at 140KIAS or less, the 5km is reduced to 3000m unless you've got an IMCR, when it comes down to 1500m. Which is about 10 seconds away from meeting someone else coming the same way head-on at the limit....
It seems that, under €urocracy, the PPL restricted minima will continue to apply to non-EASA aircraft flown on a legacy UK PPL (without IMCR/IR) - but if you were to fly them on an EASA part-FCL PPL (or the wretched LAPL), you could fly down to the 1500m limit as per my last ANO quote above......as you could for EASA 'aircraft which are not helicopters'. Utterly confusing and total madness - I don't think that the consequences of this have been examined adequately yet by the CAA, which to be fair is utterly maxxed out by €urocracy at the moment.
* paras (5) and (6) only apply to helicopters.