Legal News
Government announces launch of new registers to help builders find plots (8 February 2016)
Date: 08/02/2016
Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis has announced that self-builders will find it easier to kickstart building a home, with the launch of new registers to support builders find plots.
From 1 April, councils will have to keep a register of aspiring self- and custom housebuilders when planning for future housing and land use.
As part of government plans to provide more homes, new measures and guidance have been put in place, to clearly set out the procedure local authorities will have to take when people wish to register their interest for a plot of land.
The Housing and Planning Minister said that more and more people wanted to build their own home – and the announcement would help unlock “the massive potential” the custom build industry has to expand and help meet the UK’s future housing needs.
Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis said:
“Many other countries have a track record of delivering large numbers of local homes through self-build – and we’re determined to ensure self- and custom house building grows significantly.
“The new registers are a fantastic example of our commitment to double the number of custom and self-build homes by 2020 – so anyone who wishes to design their dream house can do so.
“This government is committed to 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.”
The registers are in addition to the measure in the Housing and Planning Bill, which will require authorities to ensure they have sufficient “shovel ready” plots to match the local demand on their register.
The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Bill was first presented to Parliament by Richard Bacon MP – and placed a duty on local authorities to keep a register of those seeking an interest in bringing forward self-build and custom build projects.
In the Spending Review, the government announced the establishment of the Housing Development Fund, which aims to provide access to £1 billion of loan finance for up to five years, supporting the provision of more than 25,000 homes through to 2024 to 2025, Mr Lewis said.
The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act received royal assent on 26 March 2015.
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