Self build housing
Cotswold District Council is committed to supporting people to build their own home. Building your own home can be a more affordable route to home ownership and an opportunity to own a bespoke and sustainably designed, high quality home. It can offer opportunities to smaller builders and contractors, create local jobs and contribute to local economies.
- Custom build housing is where a builder is contracted by a home owner to create a ‘custom built’ home.
- Self build describes a project where you play a significant part in the process of designing, planning and building your own home.
Projects range from individual homes on single plots to group projects on larger sites.
Self build register
We have to keep a register to find out demand for serviced plots of land in the Council’s area. We will use the information to guide local policy on self-build homes and help potential self-builders to find suitable plots. For more information please:
Eligibility
To join the self and custom build register you need to meet the following criteria - this applies to individuals or each individual in an association who are looking to take on a project:
- You are aged 18 or over
- You are a British Citizen, a national of an EEA State other than the United Kingdom, or a national of Switzerland
- You meet the local connection test (for entry to Part 1 only).
- You meet the financial capability test (for entry to Part 1 only).
- You pay a registration fee to the Council of £75/£25 (depending which Part you are eligible for)
- You (either alone or with others) are seeking to acquire a serviced plot of land in the Cotswold District to build a house to occupy as your main residence.
If you are applying on behalf of an association each household must:
- meet the eligibility criteria above,
- meet the local connection and financial capability tests (if applying for Part 1) and
- pay any registration fee required.
We will let you know if you will be included in the register within 28 days. If your application isn't eligible, we will give you reasons and we may ask for documents to prove your eligibility.
We can remove any entry from the register if we think that the individual or any member of an association, is no longer eligible.
Parts 1 and 2 of the self build register
The Council must have regard to the entries on both Part 1 and 2 when carrying out planning housing, land disposal and regeneration.
| Part of self build register | Eligibility | Council duty | Registration fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | You meet all the eligibility criteria | We have to give planning permission in the district for the number of serviced plots to match the number on part 1 of the register | £75 per application |
| Part 2 | You meet all the eligibility criteria, except the local connection and financial capability tests | We don't have to give planning permission to meet the demand for serviced plots on part 2 of the register | £25 per application |
We will use Part 1 of the register to guide our planning permission decisions but we won’t give planning permission for plots that specifically meet individual requirements on the register.
If you register it doesn’t guarantee that a suitable plot will be identified or become available. We do not offer assistance to individual self or custom house builders to identify or secure plots
In April 2018 we will charge a renewal fee of £50 for those who would like to stay on Part 1 of the Register so the Council continues to consider their preferences.
Register and pay
Join the self build register Pay self build register feePlease note that you are just registering your interest in building your own home in this district and it does not guarantee a plot of land or planning approval for a scheme in the Cotswold District. If you have any problems registering please:
- email: Housing strategy team
- telephone: 01285 623000
We will not pass identifiable information from the Register onto anyone outside the Council without the written consent of the person who registered their details. If you would like to know more about how we use your personal information please view the Privacy Notice
Self build register statistics
As requested by Government in the Planning Practice Guidance, we have collated statistics about the current applicants' preferences on the Register. These applicants registered between 1 April 2016 and 31 October 2016 and all information has been anonymised. This is to be used by our Planning teams and developers and individuals to inform any developments coming forward, to meet the demand for self and custom build homes in the Cotswold District and will be updated every 12 months. Please view:
Self build help and advice
For planning advice for a scheme or other self build questions, please:
- visit Pre-Application Advice and Guidance page
For help finding what type of self build is best for you and your budget please visit the:
If you are looking for a building plot please visit: