If you can afford to buy an existing home, you should be able to build your own. The general public currently see self build as being all about millionaires creating Grand Designs, but this is changing. Thanks to intensive lobbying by members of the construction industry who are involved in these types of projects, the UK government has recognized the huge potential of self and custom build to diversify the ‘broken’ housing market. Local authorities now have a legal duty to assess the demand and accommodate these projects and along with the Help to Buy scheme this will create more opportunities for all homeowners, and aspiring homeowners, to procure their own house. With the support of architects, local councils, local building companies and larger developers there is potential to revolutionise the provision of housing and improve the standard of design and construction of new homes across the board. The talk will cover: A brief history of self and custom build in the UK The challenges that face anyone who wants to build their own home such as land availability, finance and the planning system The different groups who have built together including the homeless and ex-military How other countries do it and why the UK is an anomaly Recent legislation and its implications including the Self Build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 and the new Right to Build proposals. A prospectus for the latter has just been released and the draft legislation is predicted to be issued by Spring next year The work of the Right to Build Task Force which I have recently joined as an expert advisor What architects and other construction professional should be doing to participate in this market A vision for the future Julian Owen Julian is a chartered architect who founded his East Midlands practice in 1992 and has assisted over 100 self builders with the design and construction of their homes. He co-founded ASBA, the network for self build architects in 1992 and is a director of the 1st Architects group. He has spent many years acting as an expert at exhibitions for self builders and has written six books for consumers covering different aspects of the design and construction of houses, including ‘Self-Build’ (published by the RIBA). He has served on several panels advising on self build for the government and academic institutions. In November 2021 he joined the government’s Right to Build Task Force, set up to promote self and custom build to local authorities. He is a construction adjudicator and has advised the ARB on professional conduct matters. In 2004 he was awarded an MBE for services to architecture. Please note: This session was recorded from live webinar on 28 July 2022. The on-demand video will expire 12 months after enrolling onto the module. By watching this session, participants will earn a discount code to purchase the book discussed at a special discount price. For more information on this course, or if there are no places available, please email us, or call +44 (0)20 7307 5355 to talk to a member of the team. Please view the Terms and Conditions for more information. Core Curriculum • Business, clients and services
