Programme
Speakers
Sponsors
Feedback
About the Custom and Self Build Conference
NaCSBA’s first ever conference was a great success, with the one day event reviewing the market, themes and strategies for anyone operating in – or looking to move into – the custom and self build arena.
Sponsored by Fleming Homes, Iceni and the NSBRC, the live event brought together leading operatives in the sector, including land promoters, SME builders, custom build enablers, planners and a range of stakeholders. After a break in live events due to the pandemic, NACSBA’s inaugural conference was an opportunity to network while sharing insight into strategies for growth, policy roadblocks and seeking out the opportunities.
The programme featured speakers from a range of backgrounds, from Secretary of State Michael Gove MP to senior sector professionals, including custom build enablers, planners and more. Delegates enjoyed a buffet lunch, with NaCSBA members able to join the lunchtime AGM.
Tickets were free to NaCSBA members, or £195+VAT, with a special rate of £295+VAT for a combined conference ticket and NaCSBA’s Custom and Self Build Market Report (PDF and hard copy).
Venue
National Self Build and Renovation Centre:
Lydiard Fields,
Great Western Way,
Swindon SN5 8UB
Programme
9:00 Arrivals/Tea & Coffee
9:30 Andrew Baddeley-Chappell / NaCSBA Introduction and Welcome from NaCSBA
9:40 Keynote speaker – Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
10:00 Richard Bacon The response to the Bacon Review
10:30 Angela Doran / Homes England A new start for the sector
10:50 Coffee break
11:15 Hans Sparreboom / Steenvlinder Lessons from overseas, a conversation on creating communities
11:45 The Big Debate: Proving Resilience in a Changing Market
12:30 Bryony Harrington Right to Build Task Force – working with local government officials and officers
1:00-2:00 Lunch / NaCSBA AGM (working lunch for members)
Drill down focus areas:
2:00 Jack Potter / Ground Control Biodiversity Net Gain and the Small Sites Metric
2:20 Jack Potter / Ground Control Nutrients Neutrality methodologies
2:50 Lyana Powlesland CIL – getting the process right from the outset and throughout
3:20 Coffee break
3:40. Andy Moger / Tetlow King Planning appeals – what we are learning
4:10 Andrew Baddeley-Chappell / NaCSBA What is the data telling us?
4:25 Conference closing
4:30 Optional guided tour of the NSBRC/Networking drinks
Speakers
Confirmed speakers at the conference included:
Andrew Baddeley-Chappell, NaCSBA CEO
As the then CEO, Andrew is at the frontline of negotiating policy and campaigns for NaCSBA and the Right to Build Task Force, and he also chairs the Bank of England Residential Property Forum.
Previously, he worked for the Nationwide Building Society, where he held a range of senior roles including Head of Mortgage Marketing and Head of Mortgages and Savings Policy. in 2017 he set up his own consultancy, Homanity, focused on improving the housing and mortgage markets.
Richard Bacon, MP
Richard Bacon is MP for South Norfolk, and is the author of the Bacon Review – House: How Putting Customers in Charge Can Change Everything, as commissioned by Boris Johnson. Richard is also the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Self-Build, Custom and Community Housebuilding and Place-Making and was the driving force behind the Right to Build legislation and is the Right to Build Task Force’s ambassador.
Angela Doran, Head of Self-commissioned Homes Unit, Homes England
Following her own self build, Angela became a committed advocate of self-provided housing models. She ran Glasgow City Council’s Self Build Programme and was the Scottish Rep for the National Custom and Self Build Association (NaCSBA). A director of Assemble Collective Self Build (helping groups come together to build their own homes) she has just started her new role as head of the new self-commissioned homes unit in Homes England, which was announced in government’s official response to the Bacon Review.
Hans Sparreboom, Director, Steenvlinder
A former self-build manager at the City Council of The Hague, Hans Sparreboom founded custom Steenvlinder with Marnix Norder, to create a social and community-driven developer for self-builders. Steenvlinder has expanded into the UK, working as an enabler for bringing on sites in Ashford and other locations.
Bryony Harrington, Head, Right to Build Task Force
Bryony Harrington is Head of the Right to Build Task Force and is currently undertaking her own self build. Previously she worked for Graven Hill, the UK’s largest custom and self-build development, supporting the project through its set-up, sales and construction phases. The Task Force has funding from Government for the next three years to support local authorities, and more, around the planning and delivery of custom and self build policy and practice.
Jack Potter, Biodiversity and Nutrient Neutrality Manager at Ground Control
Jack led on the development of the Biodiversity Metric 3.0 calculation tool and was a main author of the guidance for Natural England up until its final publication in June 2021. He project managed the creation of the Small Sites Metric – Beta test and Biodiversity Net Gain QGIS Template. Jack now leads a team at Ground Control focusing on accounting for biodiversity in the development sector, finding solutions to offsetting, taking non-development sector clients on a nature-positive journey, influencing the national direction of biodiversity net gain and lobbying government on biodiversity policy on behalf of clients.
In a former role at Natural England heI was involved in the identification of the legal position on nutrient impacts relating to development in the south east and south west and the methodology known today as Nutrient Neutrality. Since leaving Natural England, at Ground Control, Jack helps clients seek viable and practical solutions to nutrient issues specific to their needs in a timely manner. With a deep understanding of the problem and the solutions Jack helps clients challenge standardised methodologies when it does not adequately reflect the evidence.
Visit Jack’s Linkedin profile or Ground Control Professional Services Ecology team
Lyana Powlesland, Principal Planner at Bluestone Planning Partnership LLP
Lyana Powlesland is currently a Principal Planning Consultant and Community Infrastructure Levy Specialist who is an Associate Member of the RTPI. Starting her career in Planning Enforcement and now Specialising in CIL, Lyana has successfully advised, reduced and mitigated on all CIL matters, taking many cases through the appeals process, as well as advising clients of CIL strategies at the pre-planning stage to ensure full transparency of figures from day one.
Lyana can review proposals to make CIL compliant, especially in relation to proposals capable of exemption, to ensure a smooth planning process.
Andy Moger, Director, Tetlow King Planning
Andy is a Director in Tetlow King Planning’s Bristol office and has developed a particular specialism in and self-build and custom housebuilding. He has been heavily involved in developing evidence for the numerous successful Section 78 appeals that Tetlow King Planning have been involved whilst appearing as expert witness on self and custom build as well as affordable housing.
He also sits on the Right to Build Task Force panel of industry experts specialising in self-build and custom housebuilding and was responsible for securing planning consent for 54 Custom Build homes for Igloo Regeneration in Cornwall on the first pilot scheme implemented by Homes England to kick-start the Government’s commitment to maximising opportunities for Custom Build homes. Andy is also a regular speaker at the Self-Build and Design Show and is a leading expert on self-build and custom housebuilding having contributed to successful Section 78 appeal decisions on proposals that include this form of housing for clients including Gladman, Persimmon and Endurance Estates.
Recent successes at application stage include a bespoke development of self-build plots in Newcastle-under-Lyme for a local landowner, a 3 plot development for three generations of the same family in the South Gloucestershire Green Belt and 14 custom-build plots in the Green Belt in Broxbourne for Custom Build Homes .
Harvey Fremlin, Managing Director, NSBRC
Harvey Fremlin joined the National Self Build & Renovation Centre in 2008 and has led the team of employee-owners, as managing director, since 2014. The award-winning NSBRC celebrates it’s 15th year in 2022 and Harvey regularly hosts online surgeries as part of its ongoing educational programme.
Visit the NSBRC
Custom and Self Build Conference – sponsors
The conference wouldn’t have been possible with the help of our sponsors, who we are very grateful to them for supporting NaCSBA’s work to grow the custom and self build sector.
Headline sponsor: Fleming Homes
Fleming Homes is an award-winning specialist in self-build homes. It offers the design and manufacture of bespoke self-build timber frame houses in Scotland, to supply the whole of the UK, and it shares NaCSBA’s vision of making self build accessible to far more people.
Sponsor: Iceni
Iceni is an award winning planning consultancy providing specialist advice in the fields of archaeology; built heritage and townscape; design; economics; engagement; impact management; landscape and planning and transport.
Sponsor: NSBRC
The National Self Build & Renovation Centre is the UK’S only permanent venue for independent homebuilding advice & support. Established in 2007, and owned by our employees since 2014, we have helped almost a quarter of a million visitors build their own dream home or extend and improve their existing property.
Custom and Self Build Conference – testimonial
Hannah Wiseman, Bluestone Planning
The conference was really well organised and covered an excellent range of discussion points and the topics covered by the individual speakers were of excellent quality and they were clearly well versed in their subject areas. A really useful event for professionals in the self-build industry as well as for individuals who are looking at self or custom builds themselves which was ‘pitched’ at just the right level for interest – without too much jargon or facts and figures! I would highly recommend, and I look forward to attending another event in the near future.