Self-build and custom housebuilding register

The Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 places a duty on local councils in England to keep and have regard to a register of people who are interested in self-build or custom build projects in their area. This register will help inform the council of the level of demand for self-build and custom build plots in Swindon Borough and enable the council to develop a strategy for matching people to plots in their area.

The terms ‘self-build’ and ‘custom build’ are used to describe instances where individuals or groups are involved in creating their own home. The amount of personal involvement will vary.

Routes to building your own home

Self-build

  • Self-build one-off home: You manage the design and construction process and undertake a fair proportion of the actual building work too
  • Contractor built one-off home: You manage the design process, select a contractor and then they take care of the construction work.
  • Kit home: You select your preferred kit home. You may have to organise the foundations; the kit home company then erects the house.
  • Independent community collaboration: You work with others to acquire a site to split up into plots, then organise the design and construction of your own home.
  • Supported community self-build group: A social landlord or the Community Self Build Agency helps you build a group of homes together.

Custom build

  • Developer built one-off home: A developer with a site and a design you like takes care of everything; to save costs, you could finish it yourself.
  • Developer led group project: A developer organises a group and builds the homes; often, to save costs, the self-builders finish them off.

Please be aware that self-build homes are subject to the same requirement for planning permission as other homes.

About the register

The Government wants to enable more people to build or commission their own home. The self build register will provide an indication of the demand for self and custom build in Swindon Borough and allow the Council to develop its housing and planning policies to support the kinds of self and custom build projects that would be most appropriate.

At this stage, you are not making any commitment – the Council is just trying to find out how much local demand there is for self-build housing. Nor, in preparing this register, is the council making any commitment to provide self-build or custom build plots.

Personal details included on the register will not be made public, but anonymised data extracted from it may be published. Information as submitted will only be used for land-use planning and statistical purposes, however if you would like to be put in contact with appropriate land-owners or developers please indicate this on the form. We will not pass identifiable information onto anyone outside the Council without your written consent.

Registering your interest for self and custom build

If you would like to register your interest, please complete the following registration form:

Register of interest in custom and self build form

The self build portal

For further information regarding self-build, please visit the Self Build Portal website.

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