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government pledge more land for self builders
BuildStore has welcomed an announcement by minister for housing, Grant Shapps, in which he unveiled new meas- ures to support people wanting to build their own homes, adding that self building “should be an option for all”. In a speech at the Grand
Designs Live Show in London Mr Shapps said he wanted the UK’s self build rates to catch up with Europe’s and to become a main- stream housing option. Further to his announcement
about the Government's new ‘Build Now, Pay Later’ scheme, Mr Shapps said he wants public and private land to be made available for individual self builders and community self build schemes. He called on housing associations and local authorities to show more support for the self build sector, and private landowners and investors to release more land to the growing self build community. He said he would soon reveal the first pub- licly owned sites to be made available to housebuilders with plots exclusively for self builders. Mr Shapps said: “Self builders
deliver affordable, greener and more innovatively-designed homes, and make a big contribu- tion to the number of new homes built in this country. Yet there is scope to significantly increase the number of self built homes in the UK – both for individual households and for community- driven projects. “I want to turn around the for-
tunes of self builders by cutting the red tape and bureaucracy they often face, and make self
build a reality for many more people. I’m encouraged by the ongoing work of our self build working group, which is making good progress in developing an action plan to reduce the barriers that aspiring self builders often face. These efforts will help bring self build into the mainstream, and not simply be the preserve of the privileged few – meaning not just grand designs, but com- mon designs. “I can confirm that the govern-
ment will lead the way to pro- mote more self build housing by using the government’s Build Now, Pay Later scheme to ear- mark public sector land, with plots available exclusively for self builders. “This will sit alongside the
efforts we are already making to reduce the burden of regulation on the house building industry, and through the Localism Bill to put power in the hands of communities up and down the country.” Raymond Connor, chief exec-
utive of BuildStore, has wel- comed the measure: “Ear-mark- ing land exclusively for the self build community will be a mas- sive boost to the industry, not only allowing more people to build their own homes, but also sup- porting the construction industry and local economies. “BuildStore is already working
with Local Authorities to develop new self build schemes and [...] we look forward to helping develop more policies and meas- ures to further support the indus- try, including tackling the avail- ability of finance.”
counting up the cost
should allow at least £5,500 for these. Location is key when it
By Paul Joyner, director, Sustainable Building Solutions, Travis Perkins Plc
No one likes to talk about money, but the truth is that the ‘make or break’ factor of any self build project is planning, planning and more planning. You might think the main cost of your project will be the pur- chase of the land and building materials but there’s a labyrinth of hidden extras to include in your budgets. For example, it’s possible to purchase serviced plots of land, connections to gas, electricity and water drainage, but depending on the location of your build you
competition lafarge cement goes extreme!
Lafarge Cement has launched its ‘Big Boys’ Toys’ competition giving builders merchants’ customers the opportunity to win one of over 100 extreme expe- rience days out. Lasting until 29th
July 2011,
Lafarge Cement’s ‘Big Boys’ Toys’ competition gives Mastercrete users the opportu-
nity to win eight £100 vouchers for ‘hands on’ experiences each week, every time they purchase its Mastercrete cement. The prizes include power
boating, rally driving, paint balling and bungee jumping options amongst others. The competition website is
www.mastercretecement.com
comes to costing your plot and it’s vital to ensure you cost it accurately as this will be one of your biggest expenses on a self build project. Check out the Land Registry for an idea of what you should expect to pay and make sure your plot includes planning permission! Whether it’s legal fees or
even labour costs be mindful to budget for essential profes- sional services; these add sig- nificantly to any build cost. Finally, always give yourself
a realistic contingency budget. A guide figure is 10 per cent of your total, allowing for the unforeseen “extras” that will crop up throughout your project. If you’re unsure how to begin
costing your project, online services such as Travis Perkins’ Basic Project Cost Estimator or Estimating Service, provide a quick, cost-effective and accu- rate way to gain professional and thorough estimates for your self build.
calor offers £500 incentive to oil heated homes who switch to lpg
Calor has launched a scheme to offer an impressive £500* to customers who switch to Calor LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) from heating oil, solid fuel or electricity. The deal allows new customers to enjoy all the benefits of gas. The £500 credit can be claimed either on their first LPG fill or off their
boiler installation through Calor Force*. Through December 2010’s
snow and ice, Calor’s depend- able delivery team made up to 40,000 LPG deliveries all over the UK thanks to its 200-strong tanker fleet which operates 365 days a year. LPG storage tanks can be
securely and discreetly stored underground, ensuring that the aesthetics of a property remain unchanged. And the clever Calor Think Tank®
technology
makes LPG as convenient as being on the mains – it automat- ically notifies the local depot as soon as the gas level gets low and schedules a delivery, so
homeowners never have to worry about remembering to re-order more gas.
* Terms, conditions and restrictions apply. See
calor.co.uk/switch for full details.
Enq. 101
selfbuilder & homemaker
www.sbhonline.eu
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