The latest news to catch the eyes of the team here at Rosconn Strategic Land is the publication of the Government commissioned review (21st August 2021) into scaling up self-build and custom housebuilding, as led by Richard Bacon MP.
This review has been welcomed by Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick. Finding there is huge potential within this sector of housebuilding which could be capable of delivering 30,000-40,000 more homes every year. Finding that a scaling up of self-built homes could help to boost the UK’s overall housing supply. As Land Promoters, we work regularly with others in the industry to find ways to do just this with a joint aim of tackling the current housing crisis.
Thanks to the press releases of the HBF (Home Builders Federation) and LPDF (Land Promoters and Developers Federation), we’ve taken a look at exactly what this publication is suggesting for landowners, planners and builders.
What the review suggests
The Bacon Review puts forward 6 recommendations:
A greater role for Homes England, with the creation of a new Custom and Self Build Housing Delivery Unit supporting the creation of serviced plots on small and large sites and delivery at scale.
Raise awareness and show by ‘doing’, including with a custom and self-build ‘Show Park’ and a more robust approach to legislation.
Support community, diversity and levelling up – and crucially by reigniting the Community Housing Fund and creating more opportunities for communities to build.
Promote greener homes and increased use of Modern Methods of Manufacturing (MMC) – custom and self-build is a leading innovator in these areas and could be used to signpost the future for Government’s MMC and Net Zero Housing ambitions.
Align custom and self-build changes with planning reforms – in particular through maximising opportunities for permissioned land for custom and self-build, across all tenures.
Iron out tax issues to create a level playing field between this type of homes and speculatively built homes.
Robert Jenrick, Housing Secretary, warmly welcomes proposals
In response to the proposals, Housing Secretary, Mr Jenrick has said “I warmly welcome Richard Bacon’s report which matches our ambitions for the custom and self-build sector. We will consider it fully and respond to the recommendations in due course. The launch of the Help to Build equity loan scheme will be a game-changer to the self and custom build market and will allow individuals to borrow with lower deposit mortgages which will go towards the design and build of their new home.”
