CORNWALL Council has set up a register for people interested in building their own home.

Self and custom build housing, which is housing built or commissioned by individuals or groups of individuals for their own occupation, is increasingly regarded as a mainstream option for future home owners.

The council has now set up a ‘Register of Interest in Self and Custom Build in Cornwall’ which will help the council understand where the demand for this type of housing is.

Cornwall Council cabinet member for planning Edwina Hannaford said: ‘Building your own home can be seen as a more affordable route to home ownership and provides an opportunity to own a bespoke and sustainably designed, high quality home. It can also contribute to Cornwall’s local economy by offering new opportunities to local builders and contractors and helping to create additional jobs.

‘I welcome the introduction of this new register as, although it doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone looking for a plot will be successful in finding one, the register will be used to indicate to developers and land owners levels of local interest.’

Self and custom build housing can be developed on different types of sites and can include single detached homes on small plots in rural areas to larger scale sites with hundreds of homes or community self-build projects and blocks of apartments commissioned by a group of people in an urban area.

It is proposed in the Housing and Planning Bill that councils will be required to provide enough planning permissions for serviced plots for self and custom builders which must match local demand as indicated through a local ‘register of interest’.

If you are looking for a self or custom build site and would like to register your interest, visit the Cornwall Council website at www.cornwall.gov.uk or email [email protected] for more information.