In an effort to increase housing supply and to help people own their own home, the Government passed the Right to Build: Supporting Custom and Self Build legislation in October 2016. This means that councils have a duty to grant planning permission for sufficient serviced plots to meet demands, measured on the Right to Build Registers.
What does this mean?
By contacting your local authority you can ask to be added to their Right to Build Register. In response, your local authority has to make viable plots available to you. Offering serviced plots with planning permission, for self-build or custom-build, to meet the demand of the register. Serviced plots are building plots that have a connection to electricity, water and waste. They can be council, private, or publicly owned.
Who is eligible?
Currently, anyone over the age of 18 who is a British citizen, a national of a European Economic Area State, or a national of Switzerland.
Each authority may have their own set of local eligibility conditions and you must be seeking to build a home as your sole or main area of residence.
The difference between self-build and custom build
Self-build is usually referred to when someone personally organises the design and construction of their own home. This person may do the construction work themselves or commission the relevant individual organisations such as; architects, builders, framers etc. to carry out the work. Self-build can also be a blend of personal involvement and commissioned organisations.
Custom Build usually involves a less hands-on approach, the client works with a developer to help deliver their own home. Custom build developers vary in their offerings, from providing a completely custom home to offering a menu of options. Some custom build developers offer to secure and find sites as well as arranging finance.
Custom and self-build projects can be either individually led or part of a group project.
If you have a self or custom build project in mind contact us and come and visit our show barn.
