Nottingham architects Julian Owen Associates have a long history of working with Self Builders to create their own homes, usually with a professional team including building contractors, and this experience being applied to their work with Custom Build projects, a type of development which is reasonably new to the UK and is supported by a government scheme to help Self Builders.
What is Custom Build?
Nearly all new houses in the UK are provided by developers who sell them ‘off the peg’ which is rare compared to many other countries. In many other places, not least mainland Europe, a third option is readily available – Custom Build. This is where a developer creates opportunities for homeowners to have primary input into the design of their houses before they are Built. It is effectively a scaling-up of the Self-Build concept and is currently an untapped market that has huge potential for growth in the construction industry.
Because of legislation put in place by the government, local authorities have been compelled to include a compulsory requirement for Custom and Self Build Homes opportunities to be provided on a large scale when approving applications for large developments. For example, many local plans now require a percentage of all large housing developments to have a 5% provision for Custom and Self Build. As this feeds through the slow but relentless system of establishing planning policy, there will be thousands of plots coming onto the market in the next few years. For more information of the government’s approach to encouraging Custom Build projects please see their website.
Background
There is a range of ways that the Custom Build companies provide houses, for example:
- An Individual Self Builder takes on a Custom Build project.
- A group of Self Builders purchase land and then manage the design and construction of their new homes, including organising and installing services such as electricity and foul drainage.
- The developer or landowner install roads and services to individual sellable plots, which are then designed and built by Self-Builders.
- The council planners require the developer of a large housing development to provide some Custom Build plots within their site, in order to give permission to build the rest of their development. The design and build of the individual plots is managed by a Custom Build enabler.
- A Custom Build developer manages the whole process, including the land purchase, as well as the design and construction of bespoke homes.
- A group form a co-operative and complete individually designed terraces, apartment or houses through a community land trust.
The advantage of a Custom Build arrangement over the single plot Self-Build route is that the risk to the purchaser is significantly reduced, with most of the unpredictable elements such a gaining planning permission being dealt with by the enabler. This makes it a far more accessible way for people to have control over the design of their home, including first time buyers and those on lower incomes. If you can afford to buy a house you should be able to create and procure your own house design. Nottingham architects Julian Owen Associates can assist with all these options
How can Julian Owen Associates help your Custom Build project
Because Custom Builds are being actively promoted by national government, developers are being required by local councils to provide individual plots for Self Builders, often as part of a larger housing development. Apart from making more plots available at a lower cost and size than those commonly featured in the magazines and on TV, Custom Build has been used by some applicants to obtain permission for housing development schemes which would not have been obtained for a standard housing development. This means that including Self Build plots within your development you may skew the planning decision in your favour, as planning departments may be keen to hit their internal targets for provision.
Because Julian Owen is a member of the government’s Right to Build Task Force, which specialises in advising local councils on how to comply with the planning rules and fulfil their obligations under the legislation, he has experience on both sides of the legislature. As house developers start to be obliged to provide Custom Build plots, Julian Owen Associates are well-placed to assist them to work with and navigate the particular requirements of Self Builders.
Custom Build services we provide;
- We provide an individual design and project management service for Self Builders
- We provide advice to local authorities seeking to promote custom and Self Build in their areas.
- We provide advice and support to landowners who wish to provide Self Build plots
- We offer advice and assistance to developers and builders intending to provide plots to Self Builders but are unfamiliar with the procedures and management processes required to make a project successful.
- We are able to advise on how to use the custom and Self Build legislation to improve the prospect of obtaining planning approval.
The Future for Custom Build in Nottingham
In the UK Custom Build is just beginning to develop, with approximately 30 active providers in existence, most of which have been formed in the last five years. This trend has been driven by government legislation passed in 2015/16 that obliges local authority planning departments to make provision for it. Since then it has been gradually included in updates to planning guidance and there is expected to be more requirements included in future revisions of the National Planning Policy Framework, which sets out national guidelines for planners. There is cross-party support in the Houses of Parliament for promoting it, but at the local level many councils don’t understand it, hence the formation of the Right to Build Task Force of which Julian Owen is a member.
If you are thinking of taking on a custom build project, please feel free to contact Julian Owen Associates at 0115 922 9831, or complete our online enquiry
