Latest News
Teignbridge’s Supplementary Planning Document wins national award
Teignbridge District Council’s trail-blazing Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) has helped it win the top national award for being the most supportive custom build local authority in the country. The SPD was developed in 2014 and 2015, and was officially adopted as council policy in July of this year. Leader of the council, Jeremy Christophers said: […]
More that 250 custom build homes included in Basildon estate regeneration scheme
An innovative approach to providing future residents with a big say in the design and layout of their homes is one of the key features of a major £200m estate regeneration project in Essex. Almost half of the properties on the 560 home mixed-tenure Beechwood West development can be personalised by their future occupants. All […]
Low cost modular custom build Starter Home costs less than £50k
An innovative design for a modular Starter Home has won the 2016 Self Build on a Shoestring competition. The design delivers a low energy, simple-to-construct 66 sq m house for £49,600. If the homes were mass produced the cost would come down to just £46,300 (excluding land costs). The team behind the design want to […]
All 27 serviced plots on a custom build development in Teesside quickly purchased.
Work has now begun on the £1m infrastructure, drainage and servicing works for the plots on the Wynyard Park development, about eight miles south west of Hartlepool. The developer behind the scheme was taken aback by the speed with which the plots were sold, and he now plans to provide more opportunities for self-builders in […]
Teignbridge adopts first Supplementary Planning Document on Custom and Self Build Housing
Teignbridge District Council has recently published a Custom and Self Build Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). The SPD, which was adopted on 19 July 2016, sets out the Council’s objectives and expectations in delivering custom and self-build housing across the district. It will be used to inform planning decisions made by the Council when determining planning […]
Council grants outline permission for self build plots on edge of Warwickshire village, despite a five year housing supply
Stratford-on-Avon council has given outline planning permission for eight self-build homes, with access and associated works, on 0.67ha of former agricultural land off Old Warwick Road on the edge of the village of Ettington (Ref: 15/04449/OUT). Appearance, landscaping, scale as well as layout are reserved for later determination and each plot is expected to submit a separate planning […]
NaCSBA and All Party Parliamentary Group visit The Netherlands
MP Richard Bacon together with NaCSBA’s Michael Holmes and Ted Stevens have successfully led a study trip to The Netherlands on behalf of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Custom and Self Build. The delegation comprised councillors from throughout the UK, including Glasgow, Oxford, Nottingham and Teignbridge – all hoping to learn how Dutch development […]
New way of crowd funding low-cost custom build homes supported by Sheffield City Council
CrowditBuildit is a new enterprise, supported by Sheffield City Council, that uses crowd funding techniques to help finance affordable custom build housing schemes. Its first development involves a small parcel of brownfield land at Merton Lane, Wincobank, near Meadowhall which was bought from Sheffield City Council under its custom build programme. The six Sheffield homes […]
Somerset council purchase two acre site to facilitate affordable self-build housing
FromeTown Council secured the option to purchase land on the edge of the town from a local landowner who had offered it at a modest price on condition that the homes were self-built and reserved for local young families on lower incomes. The Town Council has recently introduced policiessupporting self-build in its draft Neighbourhood Plan, […]
New Briefing Note added on assessing the viability of projects
A new Briefing Note has been added to the Planning and Land section of the Toolkit that discusses how planners might assess the viability of private homebuilding developments when imposing planning obligations. The Note concludes that private homebuilding projects can be just as viable as market housing; that Local Plan viability assessments should test impacts […]
Five out of six English councils have set up demand Registers but many fail to comply with the new legislation
A recent analysis by the National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA) suggests that 83 per cent of all English councils have now set up a demand Register, as required under the Self‐build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015. However,based on a random sample check by NaCSBA, it seems fewer than half (46%) comply with the […]
Council Leaders urged to visit innovative self build projects in the Netherlands
Council Leaders are being invited to participate in a high level study trip to see some of the most innovative private homebuilding schemes in Europe. The two day trip – organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) that represents the self an custom build sector – will see a string of projects across the […]
New planning application form records number of self and custom built homes
The Department for Communities and Local Government has changed the national planning application form to require applicants seeking permission for new housing to specify whether the homes are self and custom build, or Starter Homes. Details of the change to Section 17 (Residential Units) now include separate categories for self and custom build, and Starter […]
Housing and Planning Bill secures Royal Assent
After seven months of parliamentary scrutiny the Housing and Planning Bill was finally given Royal Assent on 12 May 2016 and is now an Act of Parliament. When commenced later in the year, the new Act will require all local planning authorities in England to ensure they have sufficient shovel-ready plots to match the local […]
New legislation comes into force
All English councils now have to keep a Register of potential self and custom house builders. This requirement was set out in The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding (Register) Regulations 2016 which implement the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015. The Act placed a duty on councils to keep a Register of those seeking to bring […]
Self-build CIL exemption claim dismissed by Inspector in Croydon
A community infrastructure demand notice was upheld by an Inspector as development had been deemed to have commenced. A demand for payment under regulation 69 of the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 was held to be valid, with an inspector rejecting an appellant’s claim that it incorrectly specified the date development commenced on a site in south […]
Self Build Loan Fund launched in Scottish Highlands
A £4m loan fund has been set up by the Scottish Government to help individuals finance their self build projects. Many individuals in the Highlands have found it difficult to secure a traditional self build mortgage, especially if they have modest incomes. Under the scheme they will be able to borrow up to £150,000 to […]
Small builder experiences strong demand for custom build plots in Kent
All 19 building plots on Quinn Estates first serviced plots project at Hammill Park, near Sandwich, Kent have been pre-sold. The developer says the demand was very strong, even with price tags that started at £265,000 each “The response we’ve had to the site has been amazing,” says Dan Marsden, Development Director at Quinn Estates. […]
Inverclyde - council recovers costs and makes small profit on plot sales
Inverclyde Council’s self-build housing project in Kilmacolm is expected to make a profit, with an anticipated £275,000 available to fund similar initiatives in the district. The council’s Environment and Regeneration Committee was told the seven-plot scheme in Leperstone Avenue had been a success, with more than 80 people initially interested in the plots. The project […]
Case study on how Shropshire’s Exception Site Policy deliver affordable homes
Shropshire’s well-established Single Plot Exception Site policy (locally known as the ‘Build your own Affordable Home’ initiative) was introduced in 2009. Since then more than 250 homes have been delivered, at an average rate of 25 to 30 a year. The policy permits affordable housing to be built on exception sites for local needs in […]
Briefing Note on ground leases and other ways of facilitating more affordable plots
For many potential private homebuilders – particularly those on lower incomes – the initial cost of acquiring a plot of land can be a major hurdle. In some parts of the UK the cost of a plot can be between a third and a half of the total development cost of a new home. It […]