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selfbuilder +homemaker


PUBLISHER Anthony Parker


MANAGING EDITOR James Parker


ASSISTANT EDITOR Roseanne Field


CONTRIBUTORS Heather Dixon Jayne Dowle Debbie Jeffery Ewen Macdonald


STUDIO MANAGER Mikey Pooley


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ACCOUNT MANAGERS Sheehan Edmonds Paul Field


SALES EXECUTIVES Nathan Hunt Steve Smith


PR EXECUTIVES Suzanne Easter Kim Friend


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MANAGING DIRECTOR Simon Reed


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selfbuilder +homemaker


A labour of love


in Cornwall A luxurious renovation keeps the charms of an old mill


Simple tips for


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All Rights Reserved NOV/DEC 2019 REASONS TO 6


CHOOSE TIMBER Our timber expert puts the case for the material as the ‘gold standard’ for building frames, in a fabric-first approach


Low energy for a lifetime


Why a retired couple built a rustic Passivhaus in the Kent countryside as their ‘forever’ home


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FROM THE EDITOR...


Graven Hill in Bicester, as you are no doubt aware, is billed as the UK’s largest self- and custom-build development site. With 1,900 homes of varying designs and levels of owner involvement, it was the obvious place for the National Custom & Self Build Association (NaCSBA) to hold its first Right to Build Day, on 30 October.


This marked the moment when local authorities became compelled to show how many plots they have granted for self-builds in their area, it being three years since Right to Build legislation came into force. According to NaCSBA, local authorities should have been able to register 18,000 individual planning applications in this period based on the demand it is aware of, however the body thinks that they haven’t been able to grant anything near this amount.


According to the association’s Right to Build Task Force however, a total of 58 per cent of local authorities “have, or are bringing on” policies that “support custom- and self-build housing delivery.” Forgive me if that doesn’t seem a bit woolly, given that the UK is still thought to have the world’s lowest rate of self-build versus commercial development.


The Task Force did admit that while local plans are “becoming more ambitious” (good), “few offer the necessary support within the spirit of legislation and Government policy (very bad).” And most “only include vague policies supporting custom and self-build housing in principle, without enabling development to come forward.”


I’m aware there are other political challenges centrally, but why, oh why can’t we do better, at least at a local level?


JAMES PARKER


november/december 2019


www.sbhonline.co.uk


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