A guide to securing planning permission
for self-build homes by leading
structural insurance provider CRL
Archetech - Issue 20 [Page 10]
WHILE building your own home is
an exciting prospect, navigating the
complexities of the British planning
process can be a real turn-off for many
prospective self-builders. However
planning doesn't have to be a nightmare.
Steve Mansour, Group CEO at CRL, talks
you through the process and explains the
types of permissions a self-build project
will need.
build projects has also been one of the
government's key housing initiatives,
making loans available to community
groups and releasing public land to
accommodate new houses.
An introduction to self-build
planning
WITH government moves to encourage
self-build and the influx of TV programmes
like Grand Designs the UK public's desire
to construct their own homes has literally
gone through the roof.
Unless you're fortunate enough to be an
architect or qualified designer yourself,
after you've found a suitable plot of
land (although you don't necessarily
need to have bought it to gain planning
permissions), you'll need to hire in some
professionals.
The appetite for self-build is clear – with
around 12,000 new homes (or between
7-10 per cent of the UK's new housing
stock) thought to be constructed in
this way every year. Support for self-
Some self-builders opt to use a project
manager as a way to run the entire
project at arm's length, while others opt
to pick architects, designs and surveyors
themselves.
This year the new Construction (Design
& Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM
2015) were introduced and came into
force on the 6 April 2015. There is now
a requirement for domestic client’s
to understand the Health and Safety
requirements of a project.
However, their duties as a client are
normally transferred to the contractor,
on a single contractor project; or the
principal contractor, on a project involving
more than one contractor. However,
the domestic client can choose to have
a written agreement with the principal
designer to carry out the client duties. So
having a professional team to guide you
through the planning process is essential.
Whatever route you go down, it's in your
best interest to kick off the planning
process as soon as you can. Consulting