13 November 2013
Aspiring self-builders will have the chance to realise their ambitions thanks to four new sites that are being released by the Homes and Communities Agency.
The announcement was made at yesterday’s Custom Build Summit in London, by the Housing Minister Kris Hopkins MP (pictured, above centre).
The Minister said these new sites will be in addition to the 130 plots which are already in the process of being made available on eight previously identified HCA sites.
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Speaking at the Summit jointly organised with the National Self Build Association and the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), Hopkins urged smaller developers to seize the business opportunity to build customised homes for the thousands of self-builders waiting to get their projects off the ground.
Kris Hopkins said: “We are determined to help aspiring self-builders up and down the country who want to build the home of their dreams but can’t find a plot to get started”.
“We are seeing a new kind of house building model emerging in this country and I am pleased to see how positively the development industry and many councils are responding. With the self-build industry contributing some £4 billion annually to the UK economy, I want to encourage more builders to make the most of this business opportunity and offer custom build options on their sites”.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), said: “FMB members are well-placed to deliver the quality products this new generation of custom build clients demands – innovative, affordable and financially viable properties that will ensure diversity in the market and go some way to tackling Britain’s alarming housing deficit. This is why the FMB is taking the lead in working with NaSBA to promote the growth of the custom build sector, including working to develop an online platform which can better link up FMB members experienced in delivering self-build and custom build projects with clients who want a home built”.
Ted Stevens, Chair of the National Self Build Association (NaSBA), said: “The custom build sector is set to take off over the next few years. A recent NaSBA progress report to the government suggested that up to 4,000 additional self or custom build opportunities are currently in the pipeline, thanks to a range of initiatives now being undertaken by the Homes and Communities Agency, and around 50 local councils.
This growth will provide opportunities to a large number of small builders – the vast majority of ‘self-builders’ already rely on a local building contractor to build their new homes. There is also an opportunity for some house builders to set themselves up as custom build developers, taking existing tracts of land and carving these up into individual serviced building plots.”
The Summit was also attended by Grand Designs’ presenter, and industry champion Kevin McCloud (pictured, above right), who talked about the huge levels of demand there were from people who want a get a home built for themselves. And NaSBA Committee member Tim Doherty (pictured, above left) delivered a key address setting out details of the financial benefits associated with small builders delivering sites for self builders. The full set of slides can be seen HERE.
The new HCA sites are all on formerly-used public sector land. Three are completely new:
- Oxley Park, Milton Keynes
- Pound Lane South, Basildon
- Lightmoor Village, Telford
The fourth – the Urban Pioneers scheme at Middlesbrough – has already been publicised, and The Self Build Portal carried a detailed news story on the project recently.
Additional information on the sites can be found on the HCA’s Custom Build website.
The government is also looking to run a pilot project on a further site to test the workability and benefits of disposing of serviced building plots on a larger scale. Details of the pilot will be made available shortly.
