In accordance with the duties of the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended by the Housing and Planning Act 2016) and the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Regulations 2016, the council has set up a register for people who are interested in a self-build or custom-build home in the London Borough of Sutton.

What is self-build and custom-build?

In general terms this is where an individual builds their own home or contracts a builder to create a ‘custom built’ home for them.

A more detailed definition is set out in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 which defines self-build and custom housebuilding as “the building or completion by individuals, associations of individuals, or persons working with or for individuals or associations of individuals, of houses to be occupied as homes by those individuals.” It does not include “the building of a house on a plot acquired from a person who builds the house wholly or mainly to plans or specifications decided or offered by that person.”

Eligibility

To be eligible to enter on the register you must be:

  • aged 18 or older;
  • a British citizen, a national of a EEA State other than the United Kingdom, or a national of Switzerland; and
  • seeking (either alone or with others) to acquire a serviced plot of land in the relevant authority’s area to build a house to occupy as that individual’s sole or main residence.

What we use the register for?

This register will help the council understand the level of demand for self-build and custom-build homes, which will inform it's planning, housing, land disposal and regeneration functions.

The council may publish headline data on the demand for self-build and custom housebuilding in the borough. Personal information on the register will not be made public.

Please note that entry on the register will not guarantee that a suitable plot will be identified or come available. Subsequent applications for self-build and custom-build projects will require planning permission and will be assessed on their merits in line with the Local Plan policies and guidance.

How to apply?

To register, please contact: planningpolicy@sutton.gov.uk

If you are eligible to be registered, we may contact you from time to time with updates about self-build and custom housebuilding. We may also ask for confirmation of your continued interest in building in the borough to ensure that the register is up to date. You can ask to have your details removed from the register at any time by contacting planningpolicy@sutton.gov.uk

Further information

The following links provide further information on self-build and custom housebuilding: