NEWS
Housing Minister pledges support for custom- and self-build
Following Richard Bacon MP recently raising the issue of self- and custom-build in a debate on housing in the House of Commons, Housing Minister Kit Malthouse “responded positively,” according to the National Custom & Self Build Association (NaCSBA). Bacon stated what he believes to be the main barriers to the market – namely issues
Kit Malthouse
surrounding finance, land, and planning. He asked the Government to consider five aspects: • A review into its funding for the Right to Build Task Force • Updating and improving the planning guidance on custom- and self-build housing • Whether the Planning Inspectorate would commit to “adequate training around the Right to Build legislation, to ensure the current provisions are consistently and correctly applied”
• Support for “some form of campaign for consumer awareness” • Whether the Government would address the issue of how “viability” is assessed In response, Malthouse said housing should be the priority of not only the Government but the entire country, and that he supports new and innovative methods of housing supply. The Minister said he would “be happy to help” Bacon by “sponsoring some kind of event to promote the idea and to help local authorities to learn”. He also said he will review the Right to Build Task Force and look at reviewing planning guidance with a particular focus on land allocation, and concurred there is a need to discuss consistency in decision making with the Planning Inspectorate.
LIVING THE DREAM IS ‘DESIGNING AND BUILDING YOUR OWN HOME,’ RESEARCH FINDS
According to research conducted by self-build super-development Graven Hill to coincide with Custom and Self Build Week, 71 per cent of under 35s “dream of designing and building their own home”. Almost half of those surveyed said that would rather spend their money on achieving that dream than getting
married, and more still would go without a luxury holiday or new car. One in three said they are “seriously considering” designing and building their own home in the next three years.
Commenting on the findings, Graven Hill managing director Karen Curtin said: “Young people are looking for an escape from austerity and the traditional home. They know what they want and don’t want to wait for the economy to stabilise, or wage growth to close the affordability gap, which may never happen.” The research also found that “out-dated perceptions” surrounding cost could be putting people off. Forty five per cent of respondents were concerned about the cost of building a home and one in ten felt they “lacked the experience to manage contractors and oversee a project of this nature”.
Curtin added: “Many people have an image of their dream home in their
mind but believe it is simply too expensive or complicated to undertake. However, there are options for all demographics and budgets. In a market where many people are put off by standardised new build developments we’re seeing an increase in people opting for custom-build new homes, which can be completely tailored to their criteria.” Graven Hill is a development of self- and custom-build homes in Bicester,
Oxfordshire. It was recently the focus of a six-part TV series, Grand Designs: The Street, which followed the stories of 10 self-builders.
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Scotland launches self-build portal
The Highlands Small Communities Housing Trust (HSCHT) has launched a self- and custom-build portal offering specific advice to self-builders based in Scotland. The website mirrors the National Custom & Self Build Association (NaCSBA)’s portal, and has been launched following a successful bid for funding from the Scottish Government’s Self and Custom Build Housing Pilot Challenge Fund. The fund was launched in 2017 with the aim of helping pilot projects whose aims were to “demonstrate and promote the value of self- and custom-build as an alternative mainstream housing delivery model,” in a bid to encourage growth in the sector. The advice is tailored to Scotland whose policies differ from those in England. It also features a list of available plots and an interactive tool, ‘Getting Started’, to help potential self- builders price the work and see what they could save by doing certain things themselves. HSCHT has worked on a number of projects with various finance routes in order to support self- and custom-build being available to as many people as possible.
may/june 2019
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