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Government identifies eleven areas across the country to benefit from the new government-backed self-build opportunity
The Housing Minister, Brandon Lewis, has announced 11 areas across the country that will benefit from the latest government-backed opportunity to help aspiring custom or self- builders get their projects off the ground. The 11 identified areas will also test the
government’s Right to Build initiative to help increase the size of the custom and self-build sector. The 11 areas will establish and main- tain a register of prospective custom and self- builders and identify sites on which those on the register can build their homes. These areas will become the first to offer local people the right to design and build their own home. Launching the initiative the Housing Minister
explained: “We’re determined to help anyone who aspires to own their own home – whether that’s buying on the open market through schemes like our Help to Buy, or to build. That’s why these 11 areas across the country will be the first to offer a new Right to Build, one of a range of measures we’re taking to ensure any- one who wants to build their own home has the opportunity and help they need to do so. “This is one of a range of measures we’re
taking to help aspiring homeowners, but also to get Britain building – and thanks to our efforts, housebuilding levels are at their highest since 2007 and rising.” The announcement aligns with proposals included in MP for South Norfolk, Richard Bacon’s Private Member’s Bill, which would place a duty on local councils to keep a
register of individuals who have expressed an interest in finding land for their self-build projects. This first wave of announced areas will form
part of a consultation on Right to Build, which will help determine if this initiative should be extended across the country later this year. The Housing Minister confirmed that these
11 areas would be at the forefront of the gov- ernment’s efforts to help those looking to build their own homes turn their dreams into reality. The areas identified by the Minster will
establish the new register and Right to Build for their residents immediately, and will each receive a share of a £550,000 implementa- tion fund. The 11 areas are:
•Cherwell District Council, which will receive £90,000 and are committed to deliver 2,000 custom-build homes over the next 10 years
•South Cambridgeshire District Council, which will receive £50,000 and will bring forward at least 100 plots of land for custom builders and to begin selling land from January 2015
•Teignbridge District Council, which will receive £100,000 and will be implementing a ground breaking ‘5 per cent self-build’ policy in their newly adopted Local Plan so 5 per cent of all new homes in the area are delivered by custom and self-builders •Shropshire Council, which will receive
£10,200 to bring forward 6 hectares of land for self-builders by linking with Stoke Council and local social landlords to find suitable plots
•Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, which will receive £15,000 to begin bringing land forward for sale in autumn 2014 by using formerly-developed coun- cil-owned land to support aspiring self- builders in the area
•West Lindsey District Council, which will receive £5,000 to make self-build plots available on previously-developed public sector land in the area
•Exmoor and Dartmoor National Park Authorities, which will receive £28,000 to explore how local self-builders can be helped while protecting the countryside
•Pendle Borough Council, which will receive £46,000 to deliver self-build plots in the area and explore how this could be used to further deliver affordable homes
•Sheffield City Council, which will receive just under £100,000 to further deliver over 800 self-build sites, and look to support groups planning their own custom builds
•South Norfolk District Council, which will receive £25,000 to work with Saffron Housing Association in the area to deliver 40-60 custom build plots
•Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which will bring forward 72 hectares of land for local self-builders in the area
A quick guide to Right to Build and other government self-build initiatives
As part of a range of initiatives designed to keep homebuilding at the heart of the government’s long-term economic plan, Ministers want to support people who aspire to design and build their own homes. Right to Build is one initiative that aims
to help more people to create their own home and where possible bump start new communities. Potential custom or self- builders will be able to register their inter- est with their council, who will then be required to offer suitable serviced plots that are for sale at market value. It is planned that this will not be a free-
for-all. All self and custom homebuilders will have to go through the normal plan- ning application process. However, it is hoped that the register will open up the opportunity to self-builders beyond simply those who can afford iconic ‘grand designs’ and allow even more people to realise their self-build ambitions. Right to Build is one of a range of meas-
ures the government has introduced to help aspiring custom and self-builders. Others include:
•A £150 million investment to bring delivery of up to 10,000 serviced
plots – shovel-ready sites where a developer can be hired to build a home
•Making custom builders exempt from paying the community infrastructure levy
•Introducing a new £30 million Custom Build Homes Fund, which makes available repayable finance for larger multi-unit projects and grant funding for community self-builders
•Planning guidance, which makes clear that councils should help custom- builders and establish demand in their area
selfbuilder & homemaker
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