New Look for NaCSBA

The self-build industry is set for a boost following the election of a new Executive Committee for the National Custom & Self-Build Association (formerly the National Self-Build Association).

Under the stewardship of long-standing chair Ted Stevens, a former publisher of Build It magazine, NaCSBA has made great strides in encouraging the government to support people who want to build their own home. “Our biggest success had probably been getting self-build into the planning system,” says Ted. “Local authorities are now obliged to assess and cater for the demand for self-build in their areas.”

Access to land is widely thought of as the biggest obstacle for self-builders and custom builders, so getting self-build recognised in the National Planning Policy Framework back in 2012 was a major step forward.

This has been followed up with pioneering plot-release schemes from the likes of Cherwell District Council and the recent government announcement of a new raft of garden cities that will offer swathes of plots for one-off homes. Taken together, Ted believes these initiatives will see 10,000 new opportunities emerge for people to self-build.

NaCSBA’s work has also helped to make building your own home cheaper – with the government recently making self-builders exempt from the Community Infrastructure Levy, a move that will see some self-builders save £10,000s on their projects.

Moving self-build forward

“After six years I wanted to hand the reins over to a good bunch who will develop the association and take it further,” says Ted. “The new committee is extremely strong, with a gret cross-section of impressive professionals from across custom build, community-led build and traditional self-build. They’ll continue to present self-build as a credible deliverer of more housing in Whitehall, but the real challenge will be helping to enable more of the UK’s 350+ local authorities to get involved.”

Regular Build It readers will be pleased to see some familiar names on the committee, including the magazine’s contributing editor Mike Hardwick (pictured), who’s taken on the mantle of representing self-builder’s interests at NaCSBA. “Under the old NaSBA format, much progress was made in raising the profile of self-build as a means of adding to the creation of new housing alongside the mainstream development routes,” says Mike.

“My aim is to this work at a local and national level by listening to the concerns of potential self-builders and acting on them,” he continues. “We have already achieved an exemption from CIL for self-builders, but there are other charges that can make a project harder to realise – such as affordable housing contributions and endless surveys – before councils will consider granting outline approval on a potential plot. I want to simplify this process and champion the use of self-build in new major developments, such as the proposed garden cities in the South East.”

“This is not something I can do alone – I have my own views, but I want to be a focal point for the concerns and ideas of all self-builders. I intend to run a small working group, which will meet to discuss current issues and formulate a strategy to present to the Executive Committee as an agreed way forward. I’m hoping to develop the philosophy of making self-build a potential option for the many, rather than the few, so I’m interested in hearing from anyone who has a valid point to make.”

New chair Michael Holmes is a broadcaster and journalist, having appeared on our TV screens in shows such as the BBC’s Trading Up and ITV’s Don’t Move, Improve. Via the NaCSBA website, Holmes has stressed the association has a very important role to play in rebalancing housing provision in the UK and echoed Mike Hardwick’s view that self-build should be an accessible route to home ownership.

Other new members of the committee include Build It magazine’s owner Calum Taylor (Membership & Development Rep) and Simon Orrells (MD at Frame Wise and NaCSBA’s new Suppliers & Manufacturers Rep). For the full list see the NaCSBA website.