Custom & Self-build Demand Assessment
Nationwide
Custom and self-build housing is growing in importance across the UK, moving away from the traditional model of a single household physically building their own house towards a ‘design & build’ route, where the self-builder commissions contractors to build their homes for them. There are also newer ‘custom build’ models which enable the consumer to buy a shell or part finished home, completing the fit-out themselves.
Custom & self-build development helps to speed up housing delivery locally and adds to the diversity of new housing in an area. It also enables SME builders to operate in the market and gives households more control over the fit and finish of their home. The benefits are recognised by government which requires local authorities to maintain a Register of potential self-builders and to make enough serviced plots available to meet the demand identified on the Register.
Whilst the Register provides a snapshot of future demand for serviced plots, local authorities need to know how much custom and self-build housing to plan for in the long-term, so that policies in local plans are relevant and reliable and will stand up to scrutiny at examination.
Three Dragons has developed a Demand Model to assist local authorities as well as developers with long term planning and identifying underlying demand for custom & self-build homes. Making use current local and national data in respect of demographics and affordability, it provides information about demand across a local authority or housing market area or relative to a large-scale site, taking account of type, size and tenure of required serviced plots.
During 2019 we worked with 16 local authorities to produce Demand Assessment reports. A sample of those that have been published can be accessed by the following links.
Herefordshire - https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/directory-record/6653/self-and-custom-housebuilding-study-technical-report-july-2023
Please contact team members, lin.cousins@three-dragons.co.uk or laura.easton@three-dragons.co.uk if you would like more information.
Site Plan Copyright - Charlton Brown Masterplanning & Urban Design (top right)
