Minister announces new help for self builders in the UK

Eleven areas in England are to benefit from the latest government backed opportunity to help aspiring custom or self-builders get their projects off the ground.

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said these 11 areas would be at the forefront of the government’s efforts to help those looking to build their own homes turn their dreams into reality.

The Right to Build is the latest in a range of measures designed to help those looking to build their own home. These 11 chosen areas will establish and maintain a register of prospective custom and self-builders in the area and begin to identify shovel ready sites for those on the register and becoming the first to offer local people the right to design and build their own home.

‘We’re determined to help anyone who aspires to own their own home whether that’s buying on the open market through schemes like our Help to Buy, or to build. This is one of a range of measures we’re taking to help aspiring home owners, but also to get Britain building and thanks to our efforts, house building levels are at their highest since 2007 and rising,’ he added.

He explained that house building is at the heart of the government’s long term economic plan, including supporting people to design and build their own homes often at a lower cost than buying an existing property.

Aspiring custom or self builders will be able to register their interest with the council, who will then be required to offer suitable serviced plots for them that are for sale at market value.

‘This will not be a free for all. Those looking to build will still need to go through the normal planning application process. But it will open up the opportunity to self build beyond those with grand designs so even more people can realise their self build ambitions,’ said Lewis.

The 11 areas will be the first to offer this new right to their residents and will each receive a share of £550 000 to do it.

Cherwell District Council will receive £90,000 and has committed to deliver 2,000 custom build homes over the next 10 years. South Cambridgeshire District Council will receive £50,000 and will bring forward at least 100 plots of land for custom builders and to begin selling land from January 2015.

Teignbridge District Council will receive £100,000 and will be implementing a ground breaking ‘5% self build’ policy in their newly adopted Local Plan so 5% of all new homes in the area are delivered by custom and self builders.

Shropshire Council will receive £10,200 to bring forward six hectares of land for self builders by linking with Stoke Council and local social landlords to find suitable plots and Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council will receive £15,000 to begin bringing land forward for sale in autumn 2014 by using formerly developed council owned land to support aspiring self builders in the area.

West Lindsey District Council will receive £5,000 to make self build plots available on previously developed public sector land in the area and Exmoor and Dartmoor National Park Authorities will receive £28,000 to explore how local self builders can be helped while protecting important countryside.

Pendle Borough Council will receive £46,000 to deliver self build plots in the area and explore how this could be used to further deliver affordable homes and Sheffield City Council will receive just under £100,000 to further deliver over 800 self build sites, and look to support groups planning their own custom builds.

South Norfolk District Council will receive £25,000 to work with Saffron Housing Association in the area to deliver 40 to 60 custom build plots and Stoke-on-Trent City Council will bring forward 72 hectares of land for local self builders in the area.

These 11 areas will now test the Right to Build to help ultimately increase the size of the custom and self build sector, Lewis said. He added that this new measure is in line with proposals included in a Private Member’s Bill currently going through Parliament by MP for South Norfolk Richard Bacon, which would place a duty on local councils to keep a register of individuals who have expressed an interest in finding land for their self build projects.

This first wave of areas will form part of a consultation on Right to Build. It will be decided whether the changes should be extended across the country later this year.