As the UK’s largest self and custom build site, Graven Hill has a leading role in showcasing the sector, and it recently welcomed a team from Homes England to the site to see what self and custom build can look like at scale.
As the housing accelerator for government, Homes England is sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with a remit to support the delivery of more homes, improve neighbourhoods and grow communities.
Graven Hill has a vision to make self-building more accessible, helping it to take an active role in helping to address the UK’s housing crisis, an interest shared by Homes England.
On the visit the Homes England team toured the site and the range of houses and models available, including self-builds, custom new build homes and apartments, including the self build that won the ‘Best Brick Home’ at the Build It Awards in 2021.
The chance to watch the delivery of an off-site manufactured home provided real-life exposure to how MMC differs to traditional build techniques.
Graven Hill includes a range models that allow people to have input into their home, including custom build homes that offer customised internal layouts and fixtures when purchased early on without going the whole way of a self build.
Gemma Davis, customer experience director at Graven Hill said: “From the start, we’ve been passionate about providing people with homes that work perfectly for them. It was brilliant to show Homes England the progress we’ve made, and the variety of houses we have available. Putting choice at the core of the development has created a truly unique community, one that we hope will inspire others.
“Much of Europe has already embraced self and custom building as a route to home ownership, recognising the benefits that it holds when it comes to meeting people’s individual needs. It’s time that the UK caught up.”
Will German, home ownership director at Homes England said: “Being able to see the diversity of homes at Graven Hill was inspiring. The development shows the wide range of possibilities for housing in the UK, when the needs of the buyer are put first. We believe that self and custom building will become an important part of the housing market in future, so we must continue to strive to make it an accessible option.”
