Advice Notes
This collection of notes provides clear practical advice and information on a range of issues including assessing demand for custom and self-build, affordable housing, sources of funding for development, custom and self-build development models and more. By registering on this site you will receive notification when new advice notes or updates are published.
Background
AN: 1.1 What defines CSB?
Custom and self-build homes (CSB) encompass a variety of house types and ways of building. This covers a range of projects from flats to detached houses, and homes can be built as a DIY, commissioned from local architects and builders, or customised off-plan from a custom-build enabler.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
AN: 1.2 – Right to Build obligations
Councils have a statutory duty to help custom and self-builders access plots, as set out in the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Regulations 2016 the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended).
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
AN: 1.3 – Community Led Housing
This advice note provides an overview of community led housing, summarises the opportunity of community led housing for Local Authorities and clarifies where community led housing meets the definition of custom and self-build.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
Benefits
Affordable housing
Custom and self-build (CSB) housing is well placed to provide more affordable market housing opportunities as well as affordable, or social, housing for those who cannot access market housing.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
AN: 2.2 – Local Economic Benefits of Custom and Self-Build
The custom and self-build (CSB) market offers significant local economic benefits. It creates additional opportunities for new investors and supports builders, suppliers and tradespeople in the local construction industry. In addition, a significantly higher proportion of CSB spend on materials and labour is distributed locally, in comparison to the national housebuilder model. This form of housing is also more resilient through economic cycles and helps diversify the local housing market.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
The benefits of custom and self-build
As an additional supply of housing, custom and self-build (CSB) contributes to overall housing delivery, but it also delivers compound benefits for individuals, communities, councils and landowners. It meets a specific housing need, and it generally delivers more sustainable housing. Being locally commissioned and built, these homes help support small- and medium-sized builders (SMEs), and with many proposals coming from within the community there are often fewer objections. Major sites with an element of self-build can see accelerated build out and improved site marketability.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
AN: 2.4 – Meeting BAME housing needs
Black and minority ethnic households in the UK are disproportionately negatively impacted by the limited choice of housing design in the new-build market. Increasing the availability of custom and self-build (CSB) would provide the opportunity for people to design homes to meet cultural needs and lifestyle choices which are underserved by the narrow options on offer from the majority of speculative housebuilders.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
Finance & Funding
Finance options for custom and self-build
This advice note outlines the finance options available to individual custom and self-builders to fund their project. This high-level note is focussed specifically on the market in England. This an area where regional differences apply.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
AN: 3.2 Government Funding
This advice note outlines the main sources of Government funding currently available for custom and self-build (CSB) projects.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
Taxation
Issues around taxation and custom and self-build (CSB) housing, particularly regarding Value Added Tax and Stamp Duty Land Tax, need to be considered in detail from the outset of a project.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
Project viability for custom and self-build
This advice note outlines the general principles of assessing site viability, with specific reference to assessing viability for custom and self-build sites for plan making and decision taking.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
Policy
AN 4.1 Creating a framework for delivery
In order to create a successful framework for delivery, local planning authorities will need to bring parties together and look to streamline the process of getting homes built more quickly, using guidance, a package of planning policies and affordable housing initiatives.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
Assessment of local demand
Understanding the demand for custom and self-build (CSB) is important for both plan-making and decision-taking. CSB demand data should be collected and monitored alongside broader housing market data when setting out local plan policies. The primary source of identifying local demand is the council’s self-build Register. However, in most cases the Register reflects only a small percentage of true demand.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
Delivery
AN 5.1 Development models
Custom and self-build (CSB) housing can be brought forward by a wide variety of organisations or individuals to meet a range of needs and desires using an array of approaches.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
AN 5.2 Enabling schemes to come forward
In order to positively enable schemes to come forward, councils will need to be directly involved in projects and initiatives to bring custom and self-build (CSB) homes forward by intervening in the market to make more land available, bringing forward pilot schemes, making funding available and building capacity and knowledge within planning teams and amongst elected members.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
AN 5.3 Biodiversity Net Gain and custom and self-build
This note deals with Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and how it relates to custom and self-build, particularly as sites under nine units are typically exempt from BNG.
You need to register and log in to view and download this guide.
credit