Right to Build Summit Promotes Self-Builders

Yesterday’s Right to Build Summit at the House of Commons saw Richard Bacon MP welcome industry guests as he marked the Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 and the launch of the Right to Build Portal.

He hosted the event alongside the All Party Parliamentary Group on Self-Build, Custom and Community Housebuilding and Placemaking and the National Custom and Self-Build Association (NaCSBA).

It was revealed that 12,500 custom and self-build homes were completed in 2015, an increase of 6% on 2014 and a reversal of the decline seen in recent years. The growth also serves as a big step towards the Government’s target of 20,000 custom and self-build homes by 2020.

“We are determined on increasing housing supply and helping more people achieve their aspiration of home ownership – whether that’s buying on the open market through schemes like Help to Buy, or by building or commissioning their own home,” says Housing Minister Brandon Lewis.

“We are committed to helping people build their own home and have ensured councils now have to keep a register of aspiring self and custom house builders when planning for future housing and land use.

“More than 10,000 people build their own home each year and the new registers are another step in helping to double the number of custom and self-build homes each year.”

Richard Bacon MP also discussed the launch of Custom & Self-Build Demand Registers, which all councils are required to keep as of 1 April, under the Self-Build & Custom Homebuilding Act.

NaCSBA Chairman Michael Holmes also took the opportunity to promote the organisation’s new Right to Build Portal and revealed findings from their latest survey into custom and self-building, a collaboration with Ipswich Building Society. 9.7m people signalled their desire to see custom and self-build make up a greater proportion of new homes in the UK, while one in ten claimed to be aware of the new Right to Build registers, some of whom have already registered.

Michael Homes also discussed NaCSBA’s efforts to promote compliance amongst local planning authorities with regards to the new registers. “Currently only 35% of LPAs have adopted a register and we will be working hard to get this to 100%, in addition ensuring Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland adopt the right too,” says Michael. NaCSBA plans to establish a Custom and Self-Build Task force to work with councils to implement the Right to Build.