FOI request (FOI-94703491)

House builds

Requested Wed 07 November 2018
Responded Fri 16 November 2018

You are being sent this letter because as you may be aware, from 1 April 2016 the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 (as amended by the Housing and Planning Act 2016) places a number of obligations on all relevant authorities. These include:

a. To keep a register of individuals and associations of individuals who wish to acquire serviced plots of land to build their own homes in the authority's area and to have regard to those registers in carrying out their planning, housing, land disposal and regeneration functions.

b. To publicise its register.

c. To give suitable development permission in respect of enough serviced plots to meet the demand.

The obligation to give suitable development permissions is determined by reference to individual base periods, the most recent of which ran from 31 October 2017 to 30 October 2018 inclusive. Authorities have been provided with New Burden money to support this work.

I am writing to request the answers to the questions that are set out below. In setting out the data request I have focused on information of direct relevance to the implementation and required delivery under the Act. The responses should therefore be readily reportable back to us within the £450 / 18 hour limit for a Freedom of Information Request.

1. How many entries have been added to your register between 31 October 2017 and 30 October 2018?

a. Individual [number]

b. Group [number]

c. Individuals within groups [number]

2. How many entries on your register in total as at 30 October 2018?

a. Individual [number]

b. Group [number]

c. Individuals within groups [number]

3. As at 30 October 2018 are you keeping specific records as to the number of planning permissions for serviced plots suitable for self and custom build that have been granted from 1 April 2016 to 30 October 2018 so as to track your statutory obligations? [yes/no]

a. If so, how many permissions have you granted? [number]

4. Have you introduced a local connection test? [yes/no]

a. If so, from what date did this apply? [free text]

b. If so, how many entries on part one of the register at 30 October 2018?

i. Individuals [number]

ii. Groups [number]

c. If so how many entries on part two of the register at 30 October 2018?

i. Individuals [number]

ii. Groups [number]

5. Have you introduced a financial viability test? [yes/no]

a. If so, from what date did this apply? [date]

6. Have you implemented a charge for entry onto the register? [yes/no]

a. If so, what is the charge (amount, frequency)? [free text]