Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to (a) support and (b) incentivise local authorities to go further than their duty to hold a self-build register and actively bring forward sites for self-build properties.

The Department has published comprehensive planning guidance to support authorities in taking forward their duties under the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding legislation. MHCLG is also providing a total of £95,850 new burdens funding to each relevant authority over 3 years to set up the register and deliver permissions suitable for self and custom build housing.

The Department is supporting the National Custom and Self Build Association’s Right to Build Task Force which aims to help local authorities, community groups and other organisations across the UK deliver large, affordable custom and self-build housing projects. Officials have also delivered a programme of regional workshops for local authorities to assist them in discharging their duties and we will continue to assess what more the Department can do in this area.