Self-build and custom build

The Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 requires the National Park Authority to keep a Register of individuals and associations seeking to acquire serviced plots of land for self-build homes.

The statutory duty to keep a Register came into effect on 1 April 2016 under the Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding (Register) Regulations 2016. The regulations specify the requirements for utilities provision and access to the public highway that a site must meet to be regarded as a "serviced plot" plot for the purposes of the act. They set out the eligibility criteria for registration, the information required from applicants, procedures for determining Register applications and notifying applicants, and provision for removal of entries from Registers; please see the regulations.

In addition to the eligibility test, the Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Regulations 2016 allow Local Planning Authorities to set a local connections test to split the Register into two parts. The Peak District Park Authority has introduced this additional test. Part 1 of the Register is a list of people/groups who meet the eligibility criteria and the local connections test and Part 2 of the Register will be a list of those who meet the eligibility criteria. This is to ensure the Authority prioritises housing delivery for those that are demonstrate a local connection in accordable with local planning policy.

If the Authority is satisfied that you meet the eligibility criteria and the local connections test you will be entered onto Part 1 of the Register. If you are unable to fulfil the criteria but would still like to be on the Register, your name will be entered onto Part 2 of the Register.

A local connection.

Paragraph 6.31 and 6.32 of the Local Plan Part 2: Development Management Policies explain the Authority's position.

"Communities want local people to have options to stay in the area, so the Authority has a mechanism to ensure, in so far as can reasonably be monitored and enforced, that affordable houses are allocated to those who not only have a housing need, but who also have a strong local connection. This helps prevent the involuntary drift of local people out of a community, and helps families to stay together. The strength of that local connection is shown in policies DMH2 and DMH3. For the purposes of this Development Plan, ‘strong local connection’ means a person has lived in the particular Parish of a Core Strategy policy DS1 settlement (see Appendix 3) where a house is located or proposed to be located (or in an adjoining Parish within the National Park) for a period of at least 10 years (not necessarily continuous) in the last 20 years. For example, if a person is wishing to build or occupy an affordable house in Castleton, they would need to have lived in Castleton, Edale, Hope with Aston, Bradwell or Peak Forest or any combination of these places for a minimum of 10 years in the last 20 years."

Further information regarding the acceptability of new housing within the National Park can be found in the Local Plan Part 2: Development Management Policies Housing chapter.

If you want to register an interest in self build in the National Park please email policy@peakdistrict.gov.uk.

Registration by post should be made to:

Planning Policy Manager
PDNPA
Aldern House
Baslow Road
Bakewell
DE45 1AE

The Peak District Park Authority may contact you for further information to support your application.

If you have a site that you want to propose for housing, you should e mail or post details of this site including a map clearly showing the extent of the site. The suitability of the site for housing would be assessed in the event that you applied for pre-application advice or submitted a planning application. Permission would only be granted if policy requirements of the adopted development plan for the National Park are met.

Any personal information you supply will only be used for the purposes of maintaining this Register and will only be disclosed to others where it is necessary as part of our duties as a local authority or if required to do so by law. We will publish information each year on how many self-build custom build plots are sought and where within the Peak District Park Authority as part of the Annual Monitoring Review, but this will not include any personal data.

National Park policies already allow local people in housing need to provide for their own housing need provided there is a site that can be developed in such a way that it conserves and enhances the National Park.

The Authority does not own land that could be made available for self-build and neither does the Authority allocate land to meet general housing need.