Self-build and custom housebuilding (England)
Case reference EIR2025/00158
Received 20 January 2025
Published 12 February 2025
Request
In this context, can you please provide the following data in line with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
1. The total number of individuals and associations of individuals on your local authority’s statutory Self Build and Custom Housebuilding Register, as defined under the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended), as at 30 October 2023. Where your local authority has divided the register into two parts, please provide the total number for both parts of the register.
1. The total number of planning permissions (including permissions in principle) your local authority has granted for self-build and custom housebuilding under Section 2A(2) of the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended), between 31 October 2022 and 30 October 2023. Please provide number of permissions and total number of dwellings.
1. Where your local authority is a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charging authority, the number of self-build housing exemption claim applications (CIL Form 7 part 1: Self Build Exemption claim) the authority has received between 31 October 2022 and 30 October 2023. Please provide number of applications and total number of dwellings subject to claim applications.
1. The total number of dwellings for self-build and custom housebuilding, as defined under the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended), expected to be delivered as a result of site allocations or policies seeking a percentage of such forms of housebuilding on housing sites in an adopted development plan for the local authority area (please provide development plan period). Where your local authority covers more than one area for purposes of planning, please provide data for each area.
Response
In this context, can you please provide the following data in line with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
1. The total number of individuals and associations of individuals on your local authority’s statutory Self Build and Custom Housebuilding Register, as defined under the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended), as at 30 October 2023. Where your local authority has divided the register into two parts, please provide the total number for both parts of the register.
Answer: Herefordshire Council maintains a single register and the total number of individuals and associations of individuals on the register as of October 2023 is 751 (748 individuals and 3 associations).
2. The total number of planning permissions (including permissions in principle) your local authority has granted for self-build and custom housebuilding under Section 2A(2) of the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended), between 31 October 2022 and 30 October 2023. Please provide number of permissions and total number of dwellings.
Answer: The total number of permissions granted for self-build and custom housebuilding between 31 October 2022 and 30 October 2023 is 41. The total number of self-build and custom dwellings for this was 42.
3. Where your local authority is a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charging authority, the number of self-build housing exemption claim applications (CIL Form 7 part 1: Self Build Exemption claim) the authority has received between 31 October 2022 and 30 October 2023. Please provide number of applications and total number of dwellings subject to claim applications.
Answer: Herefordshire is not a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charging authority.
4. The total number of dwellings for self-build and custom housebuilding, as defined under the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended), expected to be delivered as a result of site allocations or policies seeking a percentage of such forms of housebuilding on housing sites in an adopted development plan for the local authority area (please provide development plan period). Where your local authority covers more than one area for purposes of planning, please provide data for each area.
Answer: There are no policies or site allocations for self-build and custom housebuilding in Core Strategy (2011 – 2031). However, a number of ‘made’ Neighborhood Plans across the County have included self-build and custom housebuilding policies and/or site allocations within their plan.
The list of those Neighborhood Plans and the specific policies and/or allocations can be found in Appendix 1 of the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Annual Monitoring Report on our Council website via the following link:
As such we consider this information to be excepted under Regulation 6 of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 because this is available to you via other means.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.