Monitoring self build plots?

Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

Open group | Started - July 2012 | Last activity - Yesterday

Andrew Reading, modified 7 Years ago.

Monitoring self build plots?

Enthusiast Posts: 26 Join Date: 27/07/15 Recent Posts

Generally getting confused about self build so looking for any helpful advice.

As many will be aware there is a new duty to grant 'development permissions' for serviced self build plots sufficient to meet demand as identified on Council's self build regsiter. With a requirement to meet the demand on a rolling 3 year basis.

I'd be interested to know how everyone is going about monitoring this? One approach I considered could be via number of CIL self build exemptions granted, however this would only monitor plots actually taken forward for a self-build projects (rather than simply granted permission and available, as required by the duty), therefore using CIL exception records would surely underestimate plot numbers compared to the requirement of the duty.

The issue is that historically we have quite a significant number of full/outline permissions for 1 or 2 dwellings on infill plots etc. Many of which are not "badged" as self build schemes, but if you iinvestigate a little deeper appear to ulitamtely be self build projects (i.e. applicant building house to their own specification to live in). Amoung other approaches to increase self build we are looking to include policies in our new Local Plan to further enable small scale self build schemes.

How do we monitor and capture such numbers given self build 'plots' ultimately fall within the same use class as conventional house building, and applicants are under no obligation to "declare" that it is a self/build or custom build scheme when applying for planning permission. I struggle to see as a Council how we can accurately differentiate in all instances self build from other forms of housebuilding. Surely many outline permissions for resi sites are capable of being self build serviced plots, much depends on whether the landowner decided to make the land available. Confused. Any thoughts much appreociated!

Andrew Muir, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Monitoring self build plots? (Answer)

New Member Posts: 11 Join Date: 10/11/15 Recent Posts

We were similarly confused however, following disscussion with other Authorities the upshot is:

We have to keep a list of people
We have to give out enough planning permissions for housing generally to meet the demand on that list
No requirement to monitor specific self build completions, and we don't think you could, only numbers on that list.

Hope this is of use.

Andrew Muir, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Monitoring self build plots?

New Member Posts: 11 Join Date: 10/11/15 Recent Posts

Andrew Muir:

Hi

We were similarly confused however, following disscussion with other Authorities the upshot is:

We have to keep a list of people

We have to give out enough planning permissions for housing generally to meet the demand on that list

No requirement to monitor specific self build completions, and we don't think you could, only numbers on that list.

Hope this is of use.

Further to the above, I forgot to mention that this followed the DCLG self-build event that was attended earlier this year, where it was made clear that the accounting for people on the register is a numbers game since they are seen as a proxy for need/demand – no matching of actual households. It was confirmed that you can set up a two part register so only have to account for those who meet the local need and eligibility criteria. Some Devon authorities said they were planning to count all housing permissions for one plus units on the basis that self/custom build is simply a choice in how housing is completed and any permission of appropriate scale could, in theory, therefore count.

Andrew Reading, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Monitoring self build plots?

Enthusiast Posts: 26 Join Date: 27/07/15 Recent Posts

Hi,

Andrew, thanks for coming back to me. Very useful and certainly simplifies everything.

Just so I understand, so the approach is essentially to include all resi planning permissions, given that, technically, they would all be capable of being self build/custom. So essentially the self build monitoring will just duplicate the same figure as the 'normal' residential monitoring. Have I got that right?

So there's ulimately no need to consider whether plots are actually being made available for self builders? So for example if you had a outline permission of say 100 dwellings that was submitted by a volume housebuilder who had an option on the land, you could still count this against demand on the register given permission runs with the land and technically they are capable of being built out as self build?

Sorry, I struggle with self build!

Andrew Gunther, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Monitoring self build plots?

New Member Posts: 3 Join Date: 19/10/11 Recent Posts

Andrew Muir:

Andrew Muir:

Hi

We were similarly confused however, following disscussion with other Authorities the upshot is:

We have to keep a list of people

We have to give out enough planning permissions for housing generally to meet the demand on that list

No requirement to monitor specific self build completions, and we don't think you could, only numbers on that list.

Hope this is of use.

Further to the above, I forgot to mention that this followed the DCLG self-build event that was attended earlier this year, where it was made clear that the accounting for people on the register is a numbers game since they are seen as a proxy for need/demand – no matching of actual households. It was confirmed that you can set up a two part register so only have to account for those who meet the local need and eligibility criteria. Some Devon authorities said they were planning to count all housing permissions for one plus units on the basis that self/custom build is simply a choice in how housing is completed and any permission of appropriate scale could, in theory, therefore count.

I am slightly struggling to square that comment with what the Housing and Planning Act 2016 provisions have to say on what actually consitutes 'self build and custom housebuilding', i.e. that 'it does not include the building of a house on a plot acquired from a person who builds the house wholly or mainly to plans or specifications decided or offered by that person'. Therefore, simply capturing planning permissions in the way suggested would appear not to be enough to ensure those developments always met the definition of self and custom build.

Andrew Reading, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Monitoring self build plots?

Enthusiast Posts: 26 Join Date: 27/07/15 Recent Posts

This is exactly the issue I'm trying to get my head around. The duty requires LA's to granted sufficient serviced plots (this is defined relatively loosely). But as other Andrew has pointed out this would ultimately be capable of being any residential permissions - they are ultimately the same use class in terms of land use planning, and it's simply the model of delivery.

Applicants don't have to declare whether it is a self build scheme at the planning stage. In theory it could somehow be conditoned/s106'd to be for self build only (e.g. we are considering 100% self build exception sites) but this doesn't mean other self build aren't already happening, as i suggested in my first post. Also there is nothing to stop someone getting permission with the aim of delivery through conventional housebuilding, who then decided later for whatever reason to market plots for self build instead.

I suppose I'm confused as to how they can be effectively monitored given these issues. Am i missing something?

I like the solution put forward of counting general residents permissions against the duty, as this seems to reflect the limits of what can be controlled through planning. But obviously wouldn't want to adopt this approach and then get into problems later.

Mary Elkington, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Monitoring self build plots?

New Member Posts: 23 Join Date: 14/11/14 Recent Posts

Just to add... if you're a CIL charging authority it is much clearer as to qualifty for self build exemption the applicant / resident has to notify of the SB exemption and demonstrate residency etc.

Andrew Chalmers, modified 7 Years ago.

RE: Monitoring self build plots?

Advocate Posts: 169 Join Date: 20/10/11 Recent Posts

At a recent RTPI event DCLG Chief Planner made it clear that we should be talking about custom build rather than self build.

Obviously someone has now realised that we are not a nation of individual builders, nor indeed do many have the resources let alone skills to do so. But there is now much more of an emphasis in the Housing White Paper of getting smaller builders back into the market and delivering. Clearly many smaller planning permissions for individual plots would seem likely to met the requirements, less likely for larger developer led sites, unless built in through S106 agreements. Interesting to know if any authorities have set a local eligibility criterion to require individuals to demonstrate that they will have sufficient resources to purchase land for their own self-build and custom housebuilding. Should we really be planning for unrealisable "demand"?

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Richard Crawley, modified 6 Years ago.

Moving thread

Expert Posts: 253 Join Date: 07/12/11 Recent Posts

This topic got discussed at CLIP today. There is guidance prepared, but it had been delayed by purdah. I'm still mulling over the slightly strange discussion we had.

Andrew Muir, modified 6 Years ago.

RE: Moving thread

New Member Posts: 11 Join Date: 10/11/15 Recent Posts

Richard Crawley:

This topic got discussed at CLIP today. There is guidance prepared, but it had been delayed by purdah. I'm still mulling over the slightly strange discussion we had.

Hi Richard

What or who is "CLIP"?

Thanks

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