NEWS
NaCSBA says there is “much to be done” to help unlock full potential of self-build in the UK The National Custom & Self Build
Association (NaCSBA) has released its annual Custom & Self Build Market Report, offering a detailed overview of the UK’s custom and self-build sector and highlighting the array of challenges facing prospective self-builders. Despite the association’s optimism for positive change under the Labour government, the report outlines that the self-build sector as a whole is feeling the impact of the cost of living crisis, the pandemic and crucially, a planning system that tends to work against small-scale development. Years of instability and disruption
from Brexit, Covid, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and the cost of living have distracted the government from push- ing forward with what NaCSBA calls “the important task of building more and better homes.”
While NaCSBA praises the former Conservative government for its philosophical support, it blames a “fail- ing housing delivery system” for the general opposition new homes face, along with constrained local authority resources. It also criticises the planning system which it says is skewed in favour of large developments, fi nding that following an initial refusal there’s a 68% success rate for large-scale develop- ments on appeal, compared to just 13% for individual plots.
The combined outcome of these issues is that since the Right to Build legislation came into force – intended
to simplify matters for would-be self- builders – it has ironically become harder to self-build. Right to Build legislation, part of the Self and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015, means local authorities are obliged to ensure adequate land provision for self-build and keep a register of individuals inter- ested in building their own home. NaCSBA did have positives to report – namely that it helped secure policy changes to improve the Right to Build within the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, and that it managed to gain exemption for some self-builds from Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements. The association hopes further improvements to Right to Build will address what it describes as “dirty tricks” used by some local authorities to swerve their obligations. The Labour government has com- mitted to delivering 1.5m homes and made changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to encourage diversity on large sites, including provi- sion for custom and self-build plots. Labour has also promised to release a housing white paper this summer. However, NaCSBA points out that Labour faces the same problem the Conservatives did – that local authori- ties are often unable or unwilling to ap- prove the right mix of sites. Many of the rules required exist, but aren’t being enforced or applied fairly. The result, it says, is that “the small guy is being failed by the system.”
Backed up by NaCSBA’s own
research, the report highlights that smaller, community-friendly develop- ments and infi ll housing is the type of development favoured by the public. Both this and Labour’s ambitious hous- ing target are, it says, good news for the self- and custom-build sector. NaCSBA has ongoing initiatives, including collaboration with SME build- ers and community housing groups to widen its infl uence and ensure abour addresses the current issues. It lists four key points it would like to see in the summer white paper: more work to ensure the Right to Build works as intended; more diversity on large sites; ensuring more small sites come forward and the process sets these up for planning approval; and that a greater number of these small sites includes gardens, infi lling and smoothing of settlement boundaries. The report concludes that the sector has a big role to play in helping Labour meet its target, and NaCSBA implores the government to take action and ensure change is actually delivered and implemented. While it remains confi dent that demand for self and custom-build is there and is pleased to see it becoming embedded in main- stream policies, it says there is “much still to be done” to deliver growth in the sector. To fi nd out more about aCSA’s work or to purchase your copy of the full report visit
nacsba.org.uk
THE BEST OF THE BEST: THE UK’S EXEMPLARY SUSTAINABLE SELF-BUILDS
Three self-build projects have made it to the shortlist of the Exemplar Sustainable Buildings Awards 2025. The awards aim to recognise the energy use of buildings, the embodied carbon of the materials used to build them, and occupant health and wellbeing. To meet the awards requirements, entrants must demonstrate that the building performs as designed, evidenced by monitoring data. The majority of shortlisted projects across all categories have achieved either Passivhaus or EnerPit certifi cation, or have used the Passivhaus methodology in the design and construction. The three shortlisted self-builds are Abhainn in Hamilton, Long Four Acres in North Norfolk, and The Seed in Dundee.
Abhainn is a development of three detached houses,
certifi ed to Passivhaus Classic standard. The project meets RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge metrics – a series of ambitious targets for operational energy, embodied carbon and water consumption. The homes are also compliant with the exacting
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Gold higher level of sustainability in Section 7 of the Scottish Technical Standards. Long Four Acres is a two storey self-build modelled in Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) and designed, but not certifi ed, to Passivhaus Plus standard. Its airtightness of . ach @ 50 Pa is just shy of Passivhaus criteria (0.6 ach @ 50 Pa), but the building performance in practice aligns closely with PHPP Passivhaus Plus expectations. Replacing a derelict building, The Seed is a co-living home for two households in a woodland garden. It’s almost entirely timber and meets both Passivhaus Classic standard and RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge embodied carbon requirements. It provides a great example of how Passivhaus can work in locations with site constraints and restricted solar gain. To see the full shortlist visit
www.esba.uk. The ceremony will take place on 24 June and is free to watch online, where you will also have the chance to vote for the winning entries:
www.esba.uk/#awards-ceremony
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