February has been a huge month for NaCSBA and the self and custom build sector. Not only have we seen the launch of the Task Force, but both NaCSBA and the sector received huge Government support through the recent Housing White Paper.
Heres a round up of NaCSBAs key activities over the last month:
Task Force
The Right to Build Task Force was launched on 10th February, when it was announced that Richard Bacon,MP for South Norfolk and Chair of the APPG for Self Build, Custom and Community Housebuilding and Placemaking,would become its Ambassador. Find out more here>>
The Task Force held its first Board meeting shortly afterwards to discuss initial strategies and the services that could be offered. Find out more here>>
Specialist workshops
NaCSBA recently attended the Garden Cities Alliance event in Letchworth Garden City. Keynote speeches were from Richard Bacon MP and from Lord Matthew Taylor of Goss Moor who spoke about the origins of the UK’s housing crisis and the history of the Green Belt.
NaCSBAs Chair Michael Holmeshosted a workshop looking into ways the custom and self build sector can help to deliver homes in Garden Cities, Towns and Villages.
The meeting was attended by representatives ofthe Department for Communities and Local Government,local authority representatives from three of the recently announced first wave of Garden Villages, Graven Hillin Oxfordshire, the Confederation of Co-Operative Housing,self builders,and industry representatives.
Click here for more information>>
Lender Conference
NaCSBA Chair Michael Holmes attended a lender conference hosted by NaCSBA member BuildStore in Bicester, Oxfordshire. The event was attended by several of the UKs leading building societies in the stage payment mortgage market.
NaCSBA’s work with the Bank of England Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) was praised and acknowledged. In addition, the forthcoming briefing of the PRA supervisory team, by a panel of industry experts assembled by NaCSBA, was seen an essential in assisting with the PRA’s understanding of the custom and self build sector and stage payment mortgage lending.
Scottish Working Group
Exec Committee member Angela Doran led the second meeting of the NaCSBA Scottish Workgroup. The group discussed the unique Scottish self build market as well as coming up with an action list to work on over the coming months.
This included encouraging Right to Build-style registers within local councils, progressing simplified planning zones/design code approaches in collaboration with Scottish Government and local councils and raising awareness of self build to professionals and the public to highlight what it actually involves.
For more information on the meeting, click here>>
Welsh Government
NaCSBA Chair Michael Holmes and Mark Hallett of the recently formed Work Group for Wales (more members required) attendeda meeting with senior officials across Housing Supply, Planning Policy, Housing Standards, and Sustainability in the Welsh Government in Cardiff on February 21st.
The meeting was very positive demonstrating a clear interest from the Welsh Government in promoting opportunities for custom and self buildin Wales as an alternative form of housing delivery.
NaCSBA will be submitting an official response to the Welsh Government’s consultation on the National Development Framework making the case for the inclusion of custom and self build housingin the NDF, which will have Development Plan Status so all Local and Spatial Development Plans brought forward will have to comply with it.
