First-of-its-kind self-build project agreed for Shrewsbury
A first-of-its-kind initiative to allow people to build their own homes in Shrewsbury has been given the go-ahead.
Shropshire Council has agreed to invest in the work needed to provide 47 services plots on land off London Road.
The project was agreed by cabinet earlier this year and ratified by full council this week.
Councillor Robert Macey, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for housing and strategic planning, said: "This is a really exciting initiative.
"The London Road development will be an exemplar scheme, which is eagerly anticipated by other councils that are contemplating their own self-build schemes. It’s the first-of-its-kind for Shropshire Council and is intended to showcase the potential for future developments of this nature.
“We're aiming to provide a low-density self-build, low-carbon, hybrid and unique development scheme for people that want to build their own homes and we hope this will provide a stepping stone to further self-build plots in the future.”
The next stage is for the authority to apply for planning permission for the development.
If successful, the council will then invite companies to tender for completing the infrastructure works which will include constructing roads, installing services and completing shared landscaping.
Register
There are almost 80 people on Shropshire Council’s current self-build register and approximately 500 from previous registers.
According to the council, 183 people have expressed their interest and requested Shrewsbury as the place they want to build their home, so demand for the plots is expected to be high.
It is hoped that the scheme will be presented to the planning committee in early December 2019.
The infrastructure works are planned to begin in Spring 2020 and will take about four months, meaning the first phase of house building could commence in early summer 2020.
The successful self-build purchasers can use the four-month period to appoint architects, consultants and builders and submit a planning application for their individual self-build.
In November 2018, Shropshire Council won a coveted award for Best Council for Custom and Self-Build at the national ‘Build It’ awards in London for the work carried out on the London Road site to date.
