It was good to see the Government’s commitment to Self-Build being sustained in the recent budget. The Chancellor announced plans to extend the existing £30m ‘Custom Build Fund’ by a further £150m, and conduct a consultation on giving individuals a ‘right to build’ where local authorities are not taking proper account of the ‘self-build clause’ in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Compared to the progress being made in the rest of the country, Norfolk’s district councils seem to be responding rather slowly to the new self-build agenda – despite the enthusiasm of South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon, who has recently set up an All-Party Parliamentary Group on self-build. So far as we are aware, only Broadland are being proactive on the issue.
Lucas Hickman Smith Director Matt Wood is a Regional Ambassador for the National Self-Build Association. Read our ‘white paper’ Self-Build Norfolk here.