New Local Plan - Issues & Options (Regulation 18)

26. Self-build and Custom Housebuilding

26.1 Some people want to build or commission their own homes and it is important to ensure communities have the opportunity to do so as part of the Council's strategy for meeting housing need. Such schemes can include individual family homes and community housing projects.

26.2 The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended by the Housing and Planning Act 2016) requires councils to keep and have regard to a self-build and custom housebuilding register which is a record of the individuals and associations of individuals seeking serviced plots of land in the area to self-build or custom build their own home. The Act places a further duty upon councils to grant permission for enough suitable plots of land to meet the demand in their area. The level of demand is established by the number of entries added to the Council's register during a base period which runs from 31 October to 30 October each year. The local authority then has 3 years from the end of each base period in which to permit an equivalent number of plots.

26.3 The Council's register shows that at 30 October 2023 there were 183 individuals and 1 association on the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register and together they required a total of 185 plots. At this time 27 plots had been granted planning permission to go towards meeting this demand.

Self-build and Custom Housebuilding

Local connection test – Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register

26.4 The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended by the Housing and Planning Act 2016) enables relevant authorities to include an optional local connection test to the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding register. This would require any applicants to the self-build register to have a local connection that would be set by the local planning authority. To introduce this test, local planning authorities must have a strong justification. If a local connection test were to be introduced, it is proposed to use the same local connection test used by the Council for the Housing Register as set out below.

26.5 A local connection to join the housing register is:

1. (a) They have normally resided in settled accommodation in the District for at least two years preceding application, (an exception will be made for homeless applicants who do not meet the 2 year residence criteria in Local Connection, where the Council has a statutory duty to discharge to a homeless household).
    
2. (b) They or a member of their household is employed on a permanent basis or a temporary contract running for a minimum of twelve months, within the District (confirmation will be required from the employer)
    
3. (c) Having parents, brothers, sisters or adult children and step equivalents (aged 18+ years) who are living in the District now and have done so far at least the past five years in settled accommodation and where a meaningful relationship exists.
4. 
   (d) They have no local connection but are fleeing violence or threats of violence and have been accepted as priority homeless by the Council.
5. 
   (e) Other special circumstances may exist, and all applications will be considered on their individual circumstances.