Pickles said that Councils would be told to release land for self-build projects and that the Government will reduce planning red tape to allow projects to get off the ground. Self-builders would also be exempt from paying the community infrastructure levy, he said.
Pickles said the inspiration for the measures was countries like Austria, Belgium and Sweden where people choosing to build their own property are rewarded. He said that countryside residents would also be "much less likely" to oppose custom-built housing than larger developments.
“We’re taking practical steps which will unlock the potential and will turn our country, which is famously a nation of shopkeepers, to a nation of self-builders too,” Pickles said according to the reports.
“We’re working to help would-be self-builders get the access to the finance they need and because we believe that custom building should not be the preserve of the elite and the wealthy we’re offering £47billion worth of loans to aspiring self builders.”
Pickles said he aims for one in five homes built in the coming years to be self-build projects. This would be up from around 10% last year, he said.
