He announced new rights for aspiring self and custom builders which would enable them to ask their council to identify a shovel ready site for their project.
Prospective self and custom builders will be able to register their interest with the local council, who will then be required to offer suitable serviced plots for sale at market value.
Boles said that house building is a key part of the government’s long term economic plan with custom builders poised to play a key role in that.
Research by Ipsos MORI has shown that there are over one million people who are looking to build their own home but the biggest barrier to doing so is finding a suitable plot of land to build on.
It means self build currently accounts for just one in 10 new homes in the UK compared to 60% in Germany, France and Italy and 80% in Austria.
Boles invited councils from across the country to come forward to become vanguard authorities, to get the Right to Build up and running in their area and said that the lessons learned by these areas will then form a crucial part of a consultation later this year, on extending the Right to Build across the country.
‘I believe that government should help anyone who wants to build their own home to find a plot of land to build on. That’s why we want to give people a Right to Build so anyone looking for a shovel ready plot can turn to their local council and expect them to suggest some suitable sites,’ said Boles.
‘Building your own home, with or without the help of a local architect and builder, can be much cheaper than buying a new home and offers people the change to design a place that works for them and their family. Becoming a Right to Build vanguard offers councils a way to help local people get a place to live which is designed and built locally,’ he explained.
The Right to Build is one of a range of measures the government has introduced to help aspiring custom builders. Others include a £150 million investment fund for 10,000 serviced plots that will be shovel ready sites where a developer can be hired to build a home and a prospectus published last week to help developers and community groups apply for funding to prepare the sites.
Boles has previously announced that custom builders will be exempt from paying the community infrastructure levy and introduced a new £30 million Custom Build Homes Fund, which makes available repayable finance for larger multi-unit projects and grant funding for community self builders.
Current planning guidance makes it clear that councils should help custom builders and establish demand in their area.
