NEWS
£210m opens the door to more self-builders in Wales
Building your own home in Wales is set to become easier thanks to a new scheme, Self-Build Wales, which is due to launch this spring. Over the term of the scheme a total of £210m is projected to be invested including an initial £40m from the Welsh Government. Through the scheme, the Development Bank of Wales will guarantee loans on pre-agreed plots. These loans will be repayment-free until
the new home is mortgaged. Successful applicants will be able to choose whether to use an approved builder or do the work themselves.
Local authorities and housing associations will be making plots available with planning and site requirements complete. Each plot will have a ‘Plot Passport’ which will include approved designs, an estimated build cost and options for personalising the home. Approved applicants can reserve a plot by paying a 25 per cent deposit on the plot cost. The Welsh Government, through the Development Bank of Wales, will provide the rest of the funding, with an option to defer repayments for up to two years or when the home is finished.
Commenting on the scheme, Housing and Local Government Minister Julie James said: “We want to make self-build available to more people in Wales. Finding land, navigating planning consents and being able to afford to build while covering the cost of living can be real barriers. We’ve launched this scheme in partnership with local authorities to overcome these barriers.” Andrew Baddeley-Chappell, CEO of the National Custom & Self Build Association said: “This package of measures sends a clear message that Wales welcomes and supports self-builders and we are excited to see the positive benefits that will flow from this announcement.”
Numbers signed up to Right to Build underplays true demand
Research by the National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA) has found that since 1 April 2016, over 40,000 people have signed up to Right to Build registers across England. Despite the fact that over 10,000 new registrations have been added since NaCSBA’s last Freedom of Information request to Government for data on signups, it believes the number remains short of the real underlying demand. This is down to both a lack of promotion of the registers by local authorities, and the introduction of measures that make it harder for individuals to sign up and stay on registers, according to NaCSBA. The research shows that while in the first year very few local authorities placed restrictions on joining, more than one in four now have. These restrictions include local connection tests and charges to join and remain on registers. Local connection tests should only be applied where there is a “strong justification” and in response to a “recognised local issue”, while charges should be implemented on a cost recovery basis only. Charges currently range from between £50 to £350 as a one-off to join a register, and average £150 a year to remain on it. NaCSBA commented that there are “strong grounds to challenge the
approach” local authorities are taking. The association also argues that councils should be doing more to promote their registers. While NaCSBA said it “supports the fact that the majority of councils are managing their registers as part of a wider suite of evidence for demand for custom- and self-build”, it plans to use the findings of its research to raise its concerns over the “uneven picture” with the Government.
january/february 2019
SELF-BUILDER FACES HEFTY FEE AFTER FAILING TO GIVE COMMENCEMENT NOTICE
A self-builder in Middleton Cheney, South Northamptonshire, is facing a £48,800 Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fee plus a £2,500 fine for starting clearing work onsite without notifying the council. Despite the fact Graham Evans had
received planning permission and had an application for a CIL exemption accepted, the council have argued that his failure to submit a commencement notice for the work means that he is disqualified from receiving the exemption. The CIL was introduced in 2008 in
order to help local authorities deliver infrastructure to the area, but self- builders can apply for an exemption. Evans told the local press that he was still awaiting the discharge of two conditions of his planning permission, and was under the impression he couldn’t submit a commencement notice while that was the case.
POTTON SHOW CENTRE NOW OPEN LONGER TO GIVE SELF- BUILDERS MORE FLEXIBILITY
The Potton Self Build Show Centre in St Neots has extended its opening hours for 2019, meaning self-builders can now visit six days a week. The centre will now also be open on Mondays, increasing the hours to 9 am-5 pm Monday to Friday, and 10 am-4 pm on Saturday. Visitors to the centre can explore the five show homes – including the recently refurbished Milchester – discuss their project with one of Potton’s self-build experts (booking is recommended), attend a self-build course, workshop or seminar at the Self Build Academy, and explore the two product centres. The first of these showcases the various build systems on offer to customers, while the other exhibits the door, window and stairs systems available to choose from. Alongside the St Neots centre, Potton has also updated its offering at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre (NSBRC) in Swindon. The Ruskin show home on display at the centre was closed in October for a refurbishment, reopening at The National Self Build & Renovation Show at the end of January. It has been converted into an exhibition space, showcasing how Potton can help visitors with their build from planning and design right through to completion.
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