The National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA) is pleased to announce National Custom and Self Build Week 2018 will take place between the 7-13 May, with a series of events celebrating and promoting Custom and Self Build as a route to building your dream home.
National Custom and Self Build Week is the perfect opportunity to share the message that the first step for anyone considering a tailored home is to sign up to their local Right to Build registers, via the Right to Build Portal at www.righttobuildportal.org
The week is an opportunity for people to find out more about pursuing their ambition of building a home that reflects their needs and choices through working with a Custom Build developer or local housebuilder, or managing a Self Build project by themselves or as part of a group.
One of the key aims of the initiative is to help more people understand the many ways it is now possible to get a new home built. This could be from buying a plot and commissioning a bespoke new home, as popularised by C4’s Grand Designs, through to DIY Self Build or working together with members of the local community to build affordable homes for shared ownership or rent.
Key to this message is creating greater awareness that people in England have the Right to Build, as set out by legislation announced in 2015 and updated in 2016.
The Right to Build requires all councils to maintain a register of individual and groups of individuals who want to build their own home. It places a duty on them to grant sufficient development permissions for serviced building plots to meet demand on a rolling three-year basis. By the end of the first full year base period NaCSBA’s research revealed that 33,000 individuals had signed up to express their interest in buying a plot.
The Right to Build Portal is a free site links people to their local registers, which is crucial to support councils as they work to provision sufficient plots for building.
National Custom and Self Build Week Activities
5-13 May – Grand Designs Live The multi-award-winning home event that celebrates Self Build and renovation for all budgets. From one-to-one free expert advice to inspiring talks from industry professionals.
11-13 May – The National Self Build & Renovation Show The National Self Build and Renovation Centre hosts three days of talks, tours and one-to-one opportunities at the UK’s award-winning centre for Self Building.
12 May – Plot Shop, Graven Hill A preview of Graven Hill’s new Tailored Finished detached homes, offering customers a range of unique customisable houses at the country’s largest and most exciting Custom and Self-Build site, including minibus site visits (must be booked in advance through Eventbrite).
More events to be confirmed – visit the Self Build Portal for more at www.selfbuildportal.org.uk
PLUS, For professionals and community groups
10 May – Right to Build Expo, London: Unlocking the Potential of Custom and Self Build Housing
A packed day of presentations and discussions led by the Right to Build Task Force, NaCSBA and Wood for Good, in partnership, held at Grand Designs Live. The Expo supports local authorities, planners, financiers, developers, landowners and community-groups as they work to bring on tailored homes, showcasing case studies and best practice. Visit the Expos page at www.righttobuildtoolkit.org.uk
Michael Holmes, NaCSBA’s Chair, said: “NaCSBA believes that people commissioning or building their own home will play an increasingly important role in delivering the Government’s objective to build 300,000 new homes per year.
“Custom, Self Build and community-led housing will transform how housing is delivered in the UK. Signing up to the Right to Build through the Right to Build Portal is the starting point in a journey that will give homebuyers a choice of serviced plot and the freedom to design the home they want to live in, which National Custom and Self Build Week will support.
“So far 33,000 have signed up to the Right to Build registers to start this process (as of 31 October 2017*), and NaCSBA is committed to growing this number significantly, as it holds the key to more plots and sites coming to market.”
If you’re wanting to host your own event as part of Self Build Week, whether it be a seminar, open day or meet-up, get in touch with NaCSBA at [email protected] for the logo, and to pass on details of your event for us to share with our Self Build Portal users and NaCSBA members. www.righttobuildportal.org