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Local planning authorities with positive policies on custom & self build development
Will a local planning authority take a positive view towards self-build development, or are you flogging a dead horse? You can have a really good site and a fantastic planning case, but the uncomfortable truth is the LPA's policy approach is probably the single most important consideration in determining whether your planning application or appeal is likely to be successful. To help you quickly ascertain where your LPA lies on the range, we have created a score from 0 (dead horse, don't bother) to 8 (very positive planning policy approach). This is entirely based on the Government data published on 31st March 2023 providing LPA's responses to the following questions:
- Local Plan policy general support for self & custom build?
- Local Plan policy promotes self & custom build as part of housing mix?
- Local Plan policy adopts a percentage of self & custom build at larger sites?
- LPA has introduced supplementary policies/ guidance to support self & custom build?
- LPA includes it as part of considering land allocations, disposals & acquisitions?
- LPA specifically supports identified self & custom build projects?
- LPA takes action to support self & custom build through Housing Strategy?
- Adopted Neighbourhood Plans incorporate policies on self & custom build
Each positive answer gets one point, so the most positive LPAs score 8 and the least positive score 0. The results are in the table at the foot of this page.
It's reasonable to be a little skeptical as the LPAs are "scoring their own homework" and their answers are based on their own assessment/ honesty. Nevertheless, it goes some way to separating the sheeps from the goats in relation to their attitude to self & custom build development.
To search for a specific LPA use CTRL+F on your keyboard and type the name of the LPA in the 'Find' box. After you have found what you were looking for, here are the links to our articles from April 2023 and from May 2022 on 'Is getting planning consent easier for small sites if they are self build?'
With the caveat that you need to look further into the LPA's policies and make up your own mind before submitting an application or appeal, the responses published by DLUHC in March 2023 for the year ending October 2022 are:
| Local planning authority | Self & custom build positivity score | Consents for self & custom build plots in year ending 30 Oct 2022 |
| Bury | 8 | 13 |
| Chelmsford | 8 | 21 |
| Epsom and Ewell | 8 | 2 |
| Shropshire | 8 | 89 |
| South Gloucestershire | 8 | 43 |
| Teignbridge | 8 | 66 |
| Local planning authority | Self & custom build positivity score | Consents for self & custom build plots in year ending 30 Oct 2022 |
| Bristol, City of | 7 | 16 |
| East Suffolk | 7 | 42 |
| Mendip | 7 | 1 |
| Mid Sussex | 7 | 2 |
| Sedgemoor | 7 | 81 |
| Stroud | 7 | 28 |
| Waverley | 7 | 40 |
| West Oxfordshire | 7 | 0 |
| Local planning authority | Self & custom build positivity score | Consents for self & custom build plots in year ending 30 Oct 2022 |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 6 | 192 |
| Bassetlaw | 6 | 5 |
| Dartmoor National Park | 6 | 17 |
| East Staffordshire | 6 | 21 |
| Forest of Dean | 6 | 8 |
| Mid Devon | 6 | 0 |
| Pendle | 6 | 12 |
| Rother | 6 | 26 |
| Solihull | 6 | 18 |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 6 | 37 |
| Tower Hamlets | 6 | 25 |
| York | 6 | 12 |
| Local planning authority | Self & custom build positivity score | Consents for self & custom build plots in year ending 30 Oct 2022 |
| Bedford | 5 | 40 |
| Bradford | 5 | 39 |
| Brighton and Hove | 5 | 39 |
| Broxbourne | 5 | 14 |
| Calderdale | 5 | 56 |
| Cambridge & South Cambridgeshire | 5 | 64 |
| Central Bedfordshire | 5 | 80 |
| Cherwell | 5 | 0 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 5 | 47 |
| Copeland | 5 | 12 |
| Cornwall | 5 | 237 |
| Croydon | 5 | 0 |
| Doncaster | 5 | 0 |
| Dover | 5 | 13 |
| Epping Forest | 5 | 15 |
| Exmoor National Park | 5 | 2 |
| Fareham | 5 | 20 |
| Folkestone and Hythe | 5 | 30 |
| Gedling | 5 | 11 |
| Gravesham | 5 | 0 |
| Guildford | 5 | 11 |
| Hackney | 5 | 0 |
| Harborough | 5 | 16 |
| Harlow | 5 | 0 |
| Herefordshire, County of | 5 | 45 |
| Isles of Scilly | 5 | 12 |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 5 | 60 |
| Kirklees | 5 | 49 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 5 | 0 |
| North Hertfordshire | 5 | 20 |
| North Lincolnshire | 5 | 0 |
| North Somerset | 5 | 153 |
| Northumberland National Park | 5 | 4 |
| Plymouth | 5 | 8 |
| South Hams | 5 | 59 |
| South Oxfordshire | 5 | 43 |
| Stafford | 5 | 9 |
| Tandridge | 5 | 14 |
| Tunbridge Wells | 5 | 0 |
| Warrington | 5 | 1 |
| West Devon | 5 | 38 |
| Winchester | 5 | 43 |
| Wyre Forest | 5 | 8 |
| Local planning authority | Self & custom build positivity score | Consents for self & custom build plots in year ending 30 Oct 2022 |
| Ashfield | 4 | 14 |
| Babergh | 4 | 12 |
| Basildon | 4 | 5 |
| Bracknell Forest | 4 | 4 |
| Braintree | 4 | 0 |
| Breckland | 4 | 3 |
| Broadland | 4 | 29 |
| Burnley | 4 | 5 |
| Canterbury | 4 | 16 |
| Carlisle | 4 | 1 |
| Cheshire East | 4 | 62 |
| Cotswold | 4 | 23 |
| County Durham | 4 | 72 |
| Dacorum | 4 | 18 |
| East Cambridgeshire | 4 | 67 |
| East Hertfordshire | 4 | 0 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 4 | 47 |
| Hambleton | 4 | 9 |
| Harrogate | 4 | 43 |
| Hillingdon | 4 | 7 |
| Huntingdonshire | 4 | 40 |
| Isle of Wight | 4 | 0 |
| Lake District National Park | 4 | 18 |
| Lewisham | 4 | 10 |
| Lichfield | 4 | 18 |
| Lincoln | 4 | 2 |
| Malvern Hills | 4 | 15 |
| Medway | 4 | 5 |
| Mid Suffolk | 4 | 25 |
| North Devon | 4 | 134 |
| North Norfolk | 4 | 0 |
| North Northamptonshire | 4 | 49 |
| North Warwickshire | 4 | 5 |
| North West Leicestershire | 4 | 0 |
| Norwich | 4 | 0 |
| Oxford | 4 | 0 |
| Peterborough | 4 | 10 |
| Rugby | 4 | 0 |
| Rushmoor | 4 | 1 |
| Sefton | 4 | 3 |
| South Lakeland | 4 | 20 |
| South Norfolk | 4 | 42 |
| South Somerset | 4 | 38 |
| Spelthorne | 4 | 0 |
| St Albans | 4 | 60 |
| Sunderland | 4 | 8 |
| Swale | 4 | 0 |
| Swindon | 4 | 8 |
| Waltham Forest | 4 | 4 |
| Wandsworth | 4 | 6 |
| West Lancashire | 4 | 20 |
| Wokingham | 4 | 21 |
| Wychavon | 4 | 26 |
| Wycombe | 4 | 0 |
| Yorkshire Dales National Park | 4 | 47 |
| Local planning authority | Self & custom build positivity score | Consents for self & custom build plots in year ending 30 Oct 2022 |
| Allerdale | 3 | 13 |
| Arun | 3 | 22 |
| Aylesbury Vale | 3 | 175 |
| Barnsley | 3 | 6 |
| Bexley | 3 | 33 |
| Birmingham | 3 | 51 |
| Bolsover | 3 | 5 |
| Brentwood | 3 | 0 |
| Charnwood | 3 | 20 |
| Chorley | 3 | 42 |
| Darlington | 3 | 0 |
| Dartford | 3 | 10 |
| Derbyshire Dales | 3 | 0 |
| Dorset | 3 | 70 |
| Dudley | 3 | 0 |
| Enfield | 3 | 6 |
| Exeter | 3 | 6 |
| Fenland | 3 | 46 |
| Fylde | 3 | 14 |
| Gloucester | 3 | 0 |
| Halton | 3 | 3 |
| Harrow | 3 | 7 |
| Hart | 3 | 3 |
| Hartlepool | 3 | 0 |
| Hastings | 3 | 5 |
| Hounslow | 3 | 6 |
| Lancaster | 3 | 17 |
| Leeds | 3 | 15 |
| Luton | 3 | 0 |
| Maidstone | 3 | 39 |
| Maldon | 3 | 5 |
| Melton | 3 | 9 |
| Merton | 3 | 22 |
| Milton Keynes | 3 | 35 |
| Mole Valley | 3 | 12 |
| New Forest | 3 | 16 |
| North East Derbyshire | 3 | 15 |
| North East Lincolnshire | 3 | 3 |
| North Kesteven | 3 | 31 |
| Northumberland | 3 | 34 |
| Nottingham | 3 | 5 |
| Portsmouth | 3 | 3 |
| Reading | 3 | 5 |
| Redbridge | 3 | 41 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 3 | 0 |
| Rochdale | 3 | 0 |
| Rochford | 3 | 0 |
| Rossendale | 3 | 4 |
| Rushcliffe | 3 | 29 |
| Rutland | 3 | 14 |
| Ryedale | 3 | 39 |
| Salford | 3 | 11 |
| Scarborough | 3 | 4 |
| Sevenoaks | 3 | 45 |
| South Downs National Park | 3 | 19 |
| South Holland | 3 | 1 |
| South Ribble | 3 | 22 |
| South Staffordshire | 3 | 9 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 3 | 9 |
| St. Helens | 3 | 0 |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 3 | 6 |
| Stevenage | 3 | 0 |
| Stockport | 3 | 18 |
| Surrey Heath | 3 | 11 |
| Tewkesbury | 3 | 31 |
| Three Rivers | 3 | 12 |
| Torbay | 3 | 34 |
| Trafford | 3 | 23 |
| Vale of White Horse | 3 | 28 |
| Walsall | 3 | 0 |
| Warwick | 3 | 46 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 3 | 0 |
| West Berkshire | 3 | 17 |
| West Northamptonshire | 3 | 55 |
| Wigan | 3 | 23 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 3 | 8 |
| Woking | 3 | 6 |
| Worcester | 3 | 4 |
| Local planning authority | Self & custom build positivity score | Consents for self & custom build plots in year ending 30 Oct 2022 |
| Barking and Dagenham | 2 | 0 |
| Barnet | 2 | 0 |
| Barrow-in-Furness | 2 | 3 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 2 | 3 |
| Boston | 2 | 16 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 2 | 52 |
| Brent | 2 | 60 |
| Camden | 2 | 2 |
| Cheltenham | 2 | 10 |
| City of London | 2 | 0 |
| Crawley | 2 | 1 |
| East Devon | 2 | 16 |
| East Hampshire | 2 | 23 |
| Gosport | 2 | 1 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 2 | 0 |
| Hertsmere | 2 | 16 |
| High Peak | 2 | 5 |
| Hinckley and Bosworth | 2 | 3 |
| Horsham | 2 | 0 |
| Ipswich | 2 | 5 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 2 | 0 |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | 2 | 0 |
| Lambeth | 2 | 2 |
| Leicester | 2 | 0 |
| Newark and Sherwood | 2 | 41 |
| North Tyneside | 2 | 6 |
| North York Moors National Park | 2 | 6 |
| Oldham | 2 | 30 |
| Preston | 2 | 0 |
| Reigate and Banstead | 2 | 29 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 2 | 4 |
| Runnymede | 2 | 0 |
| Selby | 2 | 0 |
| Slough | 2 | 0 |
| South Tyneside | 2 | 0 |
| Southampton | 2 | 4 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 2 | 23 |
| Telford and Wrekin | 2 | 13 |
| Tendring | 2 | 27 |
| The Broads Authority | 2 | 2 |
| Torridge | 2 | 31 |
| Wakefield | 2 | 16 |
| Watford | 2 | 0 |
| Wealden | 2 | 84 |
| West Lindsey | 2 | 28 |
| West Suffolk | 2 | 0 |
| Wiltshire | 2 | 37 |
| Wirral | 2 | 42 |
| Worthing | 2 | 1 |
| Local planning authority | Self & custom build positivity score | Consents for self & custom build plots in year ending 30 Oct 2022 |
| Amber Valley | 1 | 26 |
| Ashford | 1 | 47 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 1 | 34 |
| Blaby | 1 | 0 |
| Blackpool | 1 | 5 |
| Cannock Chase | 1 | 4 |
| Chesterfield | 1 | 3 |
| Chiltern | 1 | 0 |
| Colchester | 1 | 61 |
| Coventry | 1 | 42 |
| Derby | 1 | 15 |
| Ealing | 1 | 5 |
| East Lindsey | 1 | 104 |
| Eastleigh | 1 | 2 |
| Eden | 1 | 16 |
| Elmbridge | 1 | 106 |
| Great Yarmouth | 1 | 3 |
| Haringey | 1 | 0 |
| Havant | 1 | 14 |
| Havering | 1 | 3 |
| Lewes | 1 | 14 |
| Liverpool | 1 | 44 |
| Mansfield | 1 | 1 |
| Newham | 1 | 24 |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 1 | 9 |
| Oadby and Wigston | 1 | 0 |
| Peak District National Park | 1 | 0 |
| Sheffield | 1 | 22 |
| Somerset West and Taunton | 1 | 16 |
| South Bucks | 1 | 0 |
| South Kesteven | 1 | 7 |
| Southwark | 1 | 2 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 1 | 4 |
| Tameside | 1 | 0 |
| Tamworth | 1 | 0 |
| Thanet | 1 | 4 |
| Uttlesford | 1 | 105 |
| Westminster | 1 | 9 |
| Local planning authority | Self & custom build positivity score | Consents for self & custom build plots in year ending 30 Oct 2022 |
| Adur | 0 | 0 |
| Bolton | 0 | 17 |
| Bromley | 0 | 20 |
| Bromsgrove | 0 | 1 |
| Broxtowe | 0 | 3 |
| Buckinghamshire (see former districts) | 0 | 175 |
| Castle Point | 0 | 0 |
| Chichester | 0 | 31 |
| Craven | 0 | 67 |
| Eastbourne | 0 | 1 |
| Erewash | 0 | 4 |
| Gateshead | 0 | 11 |
| Greenwich | 0 | 2 |
| Hyndburn | 0 | no |
| Islington | 0 | 2 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 0 | 14 |
| Knowsley | 0 | 0 |
| Manchester | 0 | 35 |
| Middlesbrough | 0 | 0 |
| New Forest National Park | 0 | 13 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 0 | 6 |
| Redditch | 0 | 2 |
| Ribble Valley | 0 | 1 |
| Richmondshire | 0 | 0 |
| Rotherham | 0 | no |
| Sandwell | 0 | 8 |
| South Derbyshire | 0 | 25 |
| Sutton | 0 | 3 |
| Test Valley | 0 | 0 |
| Thurrock | 0 | 38 |
| Tonbridge and Malling | 0 | 82 |
| Wolverhampton | 0 | 0 |
| Wyre | 0 | 16 |
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