2 July 2014
People who want to build their own home will be able to turn to their council to make their dream a reality, under measures announced by Nick Boles today.
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The Planning Minister said he would give aspiring self and custom builders a new Right to Build, 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.
Mr Boles today 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: “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.”, he said.
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’, shovel-ready sites where a developer can be hired to build a home (a prospectus published last week will help developers and community groups apply for funding to prepare the sites);
- making custom builders exempt from paying the community infrastructure levy;
- introducing 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; and,
- planning guidance that makes clear councils should help custom builders and establish demand in their area.
The Government is now looking for councils to show their interest in becoming a Right to Build vanguard.
MP wants councils to keep self/custom build register
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Richard Bacon wants to change the law to make local authorities keep a register of people interested in acquiring land to bring forward self build and custom build projects, under a private members’ bill.
The Self Build and Custom Housebuilding Bill 2014-15, given its first reading in Parliament earlier today, would also require councils to make provision for such interest when developing their housing initiatives/local plans. The Bill will additionally allow volume housebuilders to include self build and custom build projects as contributing towards their affordable housing obligation ‘when in partnership for this purpose with a Registered Social Landlord’.
A debate on the Bill will take place during the second reading on Friday 24th October.
