Vanguards to start surge of custom build homes
3 Jul 2014 01:11 PM
People who want to build
their own home will be able to turn to their council to make their dream a
reality.
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 yesterday (2 July
2014).
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.
Exercising a Right to
Build
Housebuilding 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 1 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 1 in 10 new homes in the UK - compared to 60% in Germany,
France and Italy and 80% in Austria.
Mr 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.
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.
Nick Boles
said:
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. 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.
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 prospectuspublished last week with 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
-
planning guidance that makes
clear councils should help custom builders and establish demand in their
area
Further
information
See details of how councils can apply to become a Right to Build
vanguard. More details of the government custom build support package are
available on our website.
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