Agenda item

To consider the attached report (CHB-003-2020/21).

(1)        That the Cabinet Committee noted the recommendation to adopt a 2-part register; and

(2)        That the Cabinet Committee noted the recommendation to adopt and implement local connection and financial solvency tests.

Deborah Fenton, Service Manager, Housing Management and Home Ownership, presented a report to the Cabinet Committee, she advised that the report related to adopting a 2-part register for self-build and custom housebuilding.

Self-build and custom housebuilding could be one of two things:

·        A serviced plot could be provided and the purchaser would build from the ground upwards; or

·        The Council could provide six different types of houses on a plot without the interior fitted out and the purchaser could custom design those properties to suit their needs.

It was proposed that following the initial review at the Cabinet Committee, this report would be presented to the Cabinet in July, to recommend the adoption of both the 2-part register and the local connection and financial solvency tests.

The Council currently had a single Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register which was not divided into 2 parts.

The registration process in its current form counts all entries in the register as demand for Self-build and Custom Housebuilding (SBCH) in the District. A 2-Part registration would be beneficial in terms of prioritising applicants with local connections to the area and establishing a more realistic assessment of local demand.

Access to Part 1 of the Register should be subject to a local connection test based on living or working in the District and a financial assessment of capability to purchase plots.

The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding register came into effect through the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 amended by the Housing and Planning Act 2016, to promote the Government’s Right to Build Scheme supporting individuals and associations wishing to build their own homes.

The legislation created a duty on the relevant authorities, including District Councils, to keep a register; and have regard to the register when carrying out their planning, housing, land disposal and regeneration functions.  Furthermore, a duty to grant planning permission for enough suitable serviced plots of land to meet the demand for Self-build and Custom Housebuilding in the area. This level of demand was established by reference to the number of entries added to an authority’s register during each base period.

Councillor Patel expressed concern and asked for some clarification, in terms of the specification of the build, in the Council housebuilding programme that had been adopted, the Council were incorporating the lifestyle homes specification and the accessible disability specification, would this be incorporated as part of the specification when the register was opened.

The Service Manager, Housing Management and Home Ownership advised in terms of the serviced plots we would just supply a plot and would not have any input as to what was built there. However, whoever purchased the plot would need to go through planning.

In the terms of the custom build the actual shell would be built to the Council’s specification and the purchaser would only design the interior.

Councillor Philip advised that custom and self-build still fall under the same planning regulations as non-custom and self-build that come under the Local Plan and therefore would have to comply with the planning regulations.

Decisions:

(1)        That the Cabinet Committee noted the recommendation to adopt a 2-part register; and

(2)       That the Cabinet Committee noted the recommendation to adopt and implement local connection and financial solvency tests.

Reasons for the Decision:

The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended by the Housing and Planning Act 2016) required the Council to keep a register of individuals and associations who were seeking to acquire serviced plots of land in the District for self-build and custom housebuilding.

With the housing pressure and limited capacity to meet all housing needs, it was essential that the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register was effective, by adopting the eligibility criteria noted above and implementing a 2-part register, it provided the necessary prioritisation to support local applicants and their housing need.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To continue to use a single register meant that the Council had a statutory requirement to provide permissioned serviced plots to all applicants on the register regardless of local connection. This option made it difficult to prioritise limited land supply and meet local need with multiple applications from applicants across various local authorities.