NEWS
Increasing number of local authorities support self- and custom-build
An “in-depth analysis” by the National Custom & Self Build Association (NaCSBA)’s Right to Build Task Force has found that 58 per cent of local authorities have “current or emerging policy provision” for custom- and self-build. In 2015, before the launch of the Right to Build legislation, that figure was 24 per cent. Despite the positive increase, NaCSBA says it “feels that
more could – and should – be done.” For its analysis the Task Force examined the plans of all 336 English local authorities, looking at the level and type of provision for self- and custom-build – both in plans already in place and those currently being processed. UK councils are obligated to produce new plans every five years.
Of the authorities that have post-2015 plans, 76 per cent have a policy in place that actively supports custom- and self-build housing. NaCSBA says its analysis also found that post-Right to Build legislation plans were becoming more “ambitious,” but that there is a lack of supporting documents and guidance, and that most policies only offer “vague” support. The Task Force credited in particular those authorities that have what it calls “package approaches,” in which there are a mixture of policies aimed at supporting custom- and self-build and responding to local demand. These
policies include the following: • Allocation of both small and large sits for custom- and self- build housing
• Allocation of a percentage of serviced plots on larger housing developments
• Identification of specific locations for custom- and self- build housing
• Allocation of public land for serviced plots • Promotion of custom- and self-build housing as a route to affordable housing.
These packages, NaCSBA said, can help facilitate more custom- and self-build housing projects, especially when implemented in conjunction with additional planning documents and guidance.
Commenting on the findings, Right to Build Task Force
director Mario Wolf said: “The Right to Build Task Force works with a range of stakeholders and welcomes the findings that two thirds of English authorities now have policy provision. However, our research has also found that there is a long way to go. It is unacceptable that almost five years on from the 2015 Act almost one in three adopted post- legislation plans, and one in four emerging local plans, are making no provision for custom- and self-build housing.”
RIBA crowns 2019’s House of the Year
House Lessans, a simple zinc-roofed home in County Down designed by McGonigle McGrath, has been named RIBA House of the Year 2019. The annual award is given by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) to the UK’s best new architect-designed house. Built on the site of a former farmstead, House Lessans completes a small compound of agricultural buildings. Its white rendered concrete walls capped with pitched roofs echo the adjacent corrugated barn and “root the family home within the landscape,” said RIBA. The house is formed of two perpendicular blocks – a “dramatic” double-height living space, and a suite of three bedrooms overlooking a “tranquil” sheltered courtyard garden. While all rooms are “minimal and paired back,” they vary in volume and feel. The “breathtaking” open-plan kitchen and snug take advantage of the views with huge expanses of glass, while the three equally-sized bedrooms are “restrained, private and more familiar in scale.” Through the application of basic building materials, cost-saving ‘hacks’ and the “simple arrangement of rooms and spaces,” said RIBA, the architects
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www.sbhonline.co.uk
RIBA President Alan Jones said: “House Images © Aidan McGrath
“managed to design a home of outstanding quality on a budget”. It added: “Walls of cheap concrete bricks have been carefully laid and painted inside with flush mortar joints to ensure a perfect finish.” The huge windows are also fixed throughout – with openings for ventilation – a cheaper alternative to bi- fold doors.
Lessans demonstrates that life enhancing architecture does not have to cost the earth. Executed with incredible clarity and restraint, McGonigle McGrath have used simple and cheap materials to create a truly bespoke home that resonates with its owners and its context.“ House Lessans was revealed as the
winner in the final episode of a special Channel 4 series Grand Designs: House of the Year, broadcast on 13 November.
november/december 2019
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