Custom and Self-Build Homes

• Huntingdonshire’s Custom and Self-Build Register
• The Local Connections Test
• How do I register?
• What happens to my information?
• What are you doing to promote custom and self-build housing?
• Advice and funding for custom and self build
• Finding a custom and self-build plot
• The register – facts and figures

Huntingdonshire’s Custom and Self-Build Register

We have a responsibility to have a register of people/organisations who are looking to construct self or custom build homes for use as their main or sole residence.

The register is divided into two parts:

• Part One keeps track of local demand for self-build and custom housebuilding. People/organisations that appear in Part One of the register must meet the Local Connections Test.

• Part Two keeps track of general demand for self-build and custom build. People/organisations that appear in Part Two of the register do not need to meet the Local Connections Test.

The Local Connections Test

In order to meet the Local Connection Test you must meet one of the following criteria:

• currently live in Huntingdonshire

• currently work in Huntingdonshire

• have a close family member who lives in Huntingdonshire (parents/step-parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings)

• have previously lived in Huntingdonshire for at least three years and wish to return to the area

• be, or have been in the service of the regular armed forces of the Crown.

Meeting these criteria allows you or your organisation to be added to Part 1 of the register. Huntingdonshire District Council must count entries on Part 1 of the register towards the number of suitable serviced plots that they must grant development permission for.

How do I register?

To be eligible to register you must:

• be aged 18 or older

• be a British citizen, a national of an EEA State other than the United Kingdom, or a national of Switzerland

• be seeking (either alone or with others) to acquire a serviced plot of land in the relevant authority's area for their own self-build and custom housebuilding project and

• meet the local connection test to be entered onto Part One of the register or go on Part Two.

You can register your interest in acquiring a plot of land for custom or self-build housing by clicking on 'Custom and Self Build Housing Register 31 October 2023 to 30 October 2024 on our consultation portal. You will need to log in or register to be able to complete the registration form.

What happens to my information?

Information from the register, such as what house type people are interested in, preferred location, plot size etc will be published in our Annual Monitoring Report. This is a regulatory requirement and also enables developers and landowners to assess demand in the district.

The Full register will not be made public, although we will report headline data – such as the overall demand for self-build and custom build in Huntingdonshire – in the Annual Monitoring Report.

More information about custom and self-build homes can be found in the National Planning Practice Guidance.

We will periodically review and update the register. We may ask for confirmation of your continued interest in building in the district, or whether you have met your self-build requirements at certain intervals to ensure that the register remains accurate and up to date.

What are you doing to promote custom and self-build housing?

To promote custom and self-build housing we have included two policies in the Huntingdonshire Local Plan to 2036 to help meet the needs of people on the register and to encourage developers and landowners to provide land for custom and self-build homes:

• Policy ‘LP 25 Housing Mix’ and

• Policy ‘LP 28 Rural Exceptions Housing’

Two Neighbourhood Plans have also included policies supportive of custom and self-build:

• Bury [PDF, 8MB] - Policies G2 and G4.

• Houghton and Wyton [PDF, 7MB] – Policy HWNP16

Once you are on the register we will also contact you when planning permissions are granted for custom and self-build plots where they are for sale/rent.

Advice and funding for custom and self-build

For further information on custom and self-build projects you can consult the National Custom and Self Build Association’s homepage or their portal page for a step-by-step guide.

The government also provides funding for custom and self-build homes through the Home Building Fund and further information can be found at Homes England.

Finding a custom and self-build plot

The following are links to plot finder websites where you can find plots for sale.

• Plotfinder.net

• Buildstore.co.uk – includes information on custom and self-build and a plot search page.

• Plotbrowser.com

For further information on what to look for you can consult our Guide to Finding Plots for Custom and Self-Build page.

The register – facts and figures

Headline data from the register, such as what house type people are interested in, preferred location, plot size etc can be found in Part 2 of the Annual Monitoring Report.

We are currently in the 9th base period covering 31 October 2023 to 30 October 2024. The following tables provide information for the previous 8 base periods and are updated annually at the end of each period.

Table 1. Number of individuals registered on Part 1 and Part 2

One organisation registered on Huntingdonshire’s Custom and Self-Build Register in base period 6.

Table 2. Applications with CIL Exemptions for Custom and Self-Build Dwellings *

*An application for more than one dwelling will have an exemption for each dwelling.

Table 3. Custom and Self-Build Completions

*Completions Monitoring year is from 1 April to 31 March

35 custom or self-build units were under construction as at 31 March 2023