Broadland & South Norfolk Custom and Self-Build Housing SPD

5. Self and Custom Build Housing Registers Comment View responses

5.1 In line with Government requirements both Broadland and South Norfolk Councils keep registers of people interested in acquiring a serviced plot for self-build development. Currently, most people join the register as individuals, although groups of people can also register as an association.

5.2 Self and custom build housing registers are important as councils have a duty to grant permission for enough suitable serviced plots of land to meet the demand for self-build and custom housebuilding in their areas and demand is established by taking the number of new people joining the register during each year. Monitoring is undertaken using 'base periods' which run from 31 October to 30 October annually. At the end of each base period authorities have three years in which to grant the equivalent number of planning permissions. For the purposes of monitoring whether they are meeting demand both Broadland and South Norfolk Councils count serviced plots as fulfilling at least one of the following criteria: 1) self or custom build in the title of the planning application, 2) a S106 requirement and/or 3) a completed part 1 form for CIL exemption.

5.3 The PPG uses a wider definition and defines a serviced plot as a plot of land that has access to the public highway and connections for electricity, water and wastewater or can be provided with access to those things within a reasonable time period relative to the grant of permission.

5.4 The most up to date information about the Broadland and South Norfolk Council registers, as well as details about how to apply can be found online at Self Build Register – Broadland and South Norfolk (southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk).

5.5 As set out in the PPG to be eligible for entry onto the relevant Councils register each individual, and every member of an association of individuals, must meet certain eligibility criteria:

• Be aged 18 or older.
• Be a British citizen, a national of an EEA State other than the United Kingdom, or a national of Switzerland.
• Be seeking (either alone or with other to acquire a serviced plot of land for their own self-build and custom housebuilding project).

5.6 Authorities can choose to set a local connection eligibility test as part of their self and custom build housing registers. If a local connection test is used, then authorities are required to have two parts to their register. Individuals, or associations of individuals, who meet all the eligibility criteria including the local connection test must be entered on Part 1. Those who meet all the eligibility criteria apart from the local connection test must be entered on Part 2 of the register.

5.7 Both Broadland and South Norfolk Councils use a local connection eligibility test and therefore have two-part registers. Broadland District Council's local connection test says that applicants must have resided in the Broadland district for at least the last three years (or be in the service of the regular armed forces of the crown, or were in the service within the last three years) to join Part 1 of their register. South Norfolk Council require applicants to have lived in South Norfolk for three of the previous ten years, have a contract of permanent employment which requires residency in South Norfolk or have family that have lived in South Norfolk for a continuous period of at least five years to be eligible for Part 1 of their register.

5.8 Local authorities can also charge a fee for their register on a cost recovery basis only. Both Broadland and South Norfolk Councils implement a £50 annual charge for new registrations and annual renewals to stay on Part 1 of their respective registers.

5.9 There is no requirement to be on the register to apply for planning permission to build a self-build dwelling but in the context of GNLP Policy 7.5 there is a requirement to be eligible to be on Part 1 of the relevant authorities register, so for a scheme to be acceptable under this policy applicants would need to demonstrate that they fulfil the criteria in paragraph 5.7 above even if they have not formally joined the register. In the context of GNLP Policy 5 there is no requirement to be on the relevant authorities register or to meet any kind of local connection eligibility test to build a self or custom build dwelling on one of the plots identified on a larger residential site. See section 8 for more detail about the implementation of both these policies.