5 November 2014
Many more self and custom build homes could potentially be built in England; with funding set aside to encourage more people to have a say on local development and new figures suggesting thousands of homes could be built on brownfield sites.
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Neighbourhood planning funding
Ministers announced the £23 million cash boost to allow more communities to choose where new housing should go, the size and density of new building and give the green light to developments.
Local people can draw up ‘neighbourhood plans’ that can be used in determining planning applications, and ‘neighbourhood development orders’ that grant planning permission, and vote them into force in a referendum. These avenues place extra power in the hands of self/custom builders to propose ideas for innovative homes that they can design and build themselves.
Around 1,200 communities across England have already begun the process of neighbourhood planning, with 33 plans and 1 order having been approved in local referendums. The coalition government has so far supported more than 700 local groups with developing their plans.
The funding announced will help more communities become neighbourhood planning areas by:
- providing community groups with a further £1 million for grants during this financial year, in addition to the £4.25 million already awarded since 2013 – grants of up to £7,000 can now be applied for on My Community Rights
- making available £22.5 million from 2015 to 2018 to provide community groups with expert advice, grant funding and technical assistance for neighbourhood planning
- providing £100,000 to enable groups to organise workshops on neighbourhood planning in their local area
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: “With more than a thousand communities across the country already involved in neighbourhood planning this government is giving local people a real say in shaping what gets built where in their local area, and encouraging much needed new house building.”
More homes on brownfield sites
Meanwhile, figures published by the Homes and Communities Agency suggest that thousands of homes could be built on brownfield sites available for development – providing the potential for even more self/custom build dwellings.
The statistics reveal that more than two thirds of all homes are built on brownfield land following reforms to the planning system and the government hopes to increase this further. Last month the government issued new guidance on how councils can safeguard their area against urban sprawl by using Local Plans.
The government wants to see planning permission in place for homes on over 90% of brownfield land by 2020 and sees local authorities playing a critical role in making this happen. This could pave the way for up to 200,000 new homes – with the potential for a large amount custom/self build properties.
The Housing Minister explained that the government has been very clear on the importance of protecting green belt: “Local people don’t want to lose their countryside to urban sprawl, or see towns and cities lost to unnecessary development. Support for new housing is growing, because communities welcome development if it is built in the right place and does not ignore their needs.”
