NaCSBA and the Right to Build

NaCSBA and the Right to Build

Everyone in England is entitled to sign up to the Right to Build registers in their neighbourhood, under the Right to Build legislation. NaCSBA are urging people to exercise their Right to Build by signing up to their local self-build registers. They can help to register with relevant local authorities, through the Right to Build Portal, which links you to all the registers near you.

What is the Right to Build?

Since 1 April 2016, the Right to Build requires local authorities in England to maintain a register of people and groups in their area who want to have a role in an owner-commissioned home, whether that be for Custom Building, Self-Building or through community-led housing, such as cohousing or Community Land Trusts. People can either sign up as individuals, or as groups of people who want to build together.

"NaCSBA’s Right to Build Portal has been created to ensure the public has easy access to their local Custom and Self Build Demand Register."

The Right to Build is a piece of legislation for English authorities, that supports aspiring custom and self-builders who want to build their own homes. There is no equivalent for Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales. Councils must ensure they have sufficient ‘shovel-ready’ plots to meet this demand, and they have three years from signing up, measured from the end of October each year.

Right to Build Day

The 30th October 2019 marks the date on which councils must demonstrate whether they have granted sufficient ‘development permissions’ for the 18,000 people signed up to their local Custom and Self Build register for the first partial year, which ran between 1st April – 30th October 2016. The 30 October is the close of first three-year base period for the Self Build and Custom Build registers.

Each year NaCSBA conducts a Freedom of Information request to all English authorities that the legislation applies to, including county, borough and district councils and national parks. The 2018 data illustrated that the level of activity, and the numbers signed up to the registers, is very mixed across the country, creating a postcode lottery of provision.

Following the Right to Build Day, NaCSBA will be conducting its annual Freedom of Information request to establish how many of the 18,000 plots have been permissioned, demonstrating which local authorities are championing the rights of their residents in the area of Custom and Self Build, and which are failing in their duty.

ENDS.

References

https://nacsba.org.uk/news/right-to-build-day/

https://selfbuildportal.org.uk/