How we intend to help self-build and custom build housing in the borough
About self-build and custom house building
Custom and self-build (CSB) homes are those where an individual or group either:
- build the home themselves, or
- work with a developer to deliver the home they'll live in
To find out more about CSB or to join the custom-build register, please visit our custom and self-build housing page.
We recognise that CSB housing developments in the borough:
- offer an important potential route to home ownership
- can help ensure that home owners have a home they truly desire and can be proud of
Custom and self-build position statement
A legal requirement for local authorities to meet the demand and/or need for CSB housing was first introduced through the 2015 Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act. Subsequent amendments to this legislation were introduced through the 2016 Housing and Planning Act (with associated regulations), and 2023 Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act (LURA).
The custom and self-build register provides data regarding the need and demand for CSB. Need is defined by the number of registrations added to the register for each annual base period (31 October to 30 October).
The 2023 LURA sets out new legal requirements for monitoring CSB planning permissions. Only consents explicitly granted for CSB housing can now be counted towards meeting the need (as defined by the register). Therefore, it is important to ensure an effective annual monitoring process. For the most recent full base period (31 October 2023 to 30 October 2024) we have introduced an annual position statement. This provides comparison between the number of entries on the register and numbers of CSB planning permissions. The current position statement may be viewed below.
View our Custom and Self-Build Position Statement (May 2025)
Our action plan
To boost the Borough Council’s commitment to supporting CSB, we have created an action plan that outlines the steps we'll take to:
- positively influence or help secure development opportunities
- support individuals or organisations to deliver high quality CSB house building
Some of the steps in the plan include:
- introducing a new policy to allow for small scale development to take place outside of development boundaries (in areas reasonably related to the relevant settlement)
- offering support for the owners and developers who wish to bring forward their sites for CSB purposes
- exploring options for securing the development of CSB housing on sites, large, medium and small
- supporting neighbourhood plans which encourage CSB opportunities
- engaging more with customers interested in CSB house building
The demand for custom and self-build
In order to access the demand within the borough for CSB, we've commissioned and published the following report: