Housing minister Grant Shapps has signalled that he wants to lift the barriers that stand in the way of prospective self-builders, in a move that could stimulate a growth market for smaller contractors.
Last week, Shapps asked the National Self Build Association, a campaign group representing the self-build industry, to work with officials from the Department of Communities and Local Government to develop an action plan to boost the number of self-builders.
A priority for the action plan is likely to be the restricted supply of suitable land parcels, and how local authorities and the Homes and Communities Agency could make land more accessible and affordable.
A second issue is the availability of mortgage finance for self-builders. BuildStore, which provides finance, services and support to self-builders, said that only one in four self-build projects are able to access the finance they need.
The government hopes that the new “Community Right to Build”, under which locally-backed developments will not have to go through the planning process, will also help stimulate the self-build market.
Self-builders are in fact “the UK’s largest housebuilder” – around 10 000 units a year are completed by individuals and housing co-operatives. But the CLG points out that the UK has one of the lowest proportion of self-built homes in Europe.
Ted Stevens, chairman of the National Self Build Association, said: “We believe there are hundreds of thousands of people in the UK that are keen to build their own, very affordable house. By encouraging more self-build, people will get the homes they really want, very cost effectively. For example, it’s possible to build a three bedroom house for £150 000. And most self builders are very committed to environmental and community issues too, so more self build should lead to greener homes and more cohesive communities.”
A spokeswoman for the HCA said that the organisation would continue to work with local authorities on strategies to facilitate self-build projects.
Shapps’ move comes as figures from the House Builders Federation show that just 36 400 homes were granted planning permission in the third quarter of 2010, 18% lower than the same period in 2009. In comparison, 2006/7 saw a quarterly average of 64,500 units.
