Local Connection Test for Buckinghamshire’s Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register consultation

Feedback updated 13 Dec 2022

We asked

We are replacing the former district councils self-build registers with a single register for Buckinghamshire.

The self-build and custom housebuilding register is a record of people looking to acquire land within their area, to build a home.

We asked for views on:

Our new approach
The introduction of a local connection test that will split the register into 2 parts

The consultation ran from 27 June to 8 August 2022.

You said

We received 74 responses to the consultation.

Over 80% of respondents lived in Buckinghamshire and there was overwhelming support for the introduction of a local connection test.

Just under half agreed with the local connection criteria and the length of connection required. Roughly equal amounts of respondents wanted either longer (16%) or shorter (13%) connection periods.

Of the respondents who made further comments, the main concerns / issues raised were:

people living close to the council boundaries will be disadvantaged as well as those who have an historic connection to the council area but have moved away for study or work
the criteria "About to take up employment" is not a local connection but an anticipated future local connection and therefore should not be part of the criteria
with ‘having immediate family’, respondents want the term 'immediate' to be made clear as to its meaning in relation to the local connection test

We did

On 15 September 2022, the Leader of Buckinghamshire Council agreed to implement a single self-build and custom housebuilding register, incorporating a local connection test and administration fees.

Following the consultation, we have:

retained the 2-year criteria. People who live close to the Buckinghamshire boundary, as well as those who have historic connection to the council area, can register to be placed on part 2 of the self-build register
removed the words ‘about to take up employment’ and replaced them with ‘persons must be in a permanent or in a continuous temporary employment within the council area for at least 2 years’
clearly defined ‘immediate family member’ on our website and on the registration form, to include parents, children, siblings or spouses

For more information, please see the self-build and custom housebuilding register webpage.

Overview

We want to hear your views on introducing a Local Connection Test for the Buckinghamshire Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register.

The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register is a register that local authorities have to keep of people looking to acquire land within their area, to build a home. The register provides local authorities with level of demand. This can then be used to plan for future needs for this type of housing in their area.

Buckinghamshire Council was established in April 2020. The former District Councils (Aylesbury, Wycombe, Chiltern and South Bucks) each had their own registers. These registers were managed using different approaches.

We want to develop and maintain a single register in the Council area. The new approach will include local connection criteria that will split the register into two parts:

Part 1 - those who meet the national eligibility criteria and local connection criteria
Part 2 - those who meet the national eligibility criteria and other criteria but do not meet the local connection criteria

We would like to hear your views on introducing a Local Connection Test and its criteria.

The Local Connection Test criteria

A local connection test sets out a number of local eligibility criteria. An applicant has to meet at least one of these criteria with evidence to show their connection to the Council area.

Allowing the Council to operate a two-part register helps us to focus on local need and demand. Entries on Part 1 of the register will count towards the number of suitable serviced plots that should be accommodated on sites that are granted development permission.

To be on Part 1 of the register, we are proposing applicants would have to meet at least one of the following local connection criteria:

Have lived in the council area continuously for 2 years or more immediately preceding the date of the application
In employment within the Council area for at least 2 years or about to take up permanent employment in the council area immediately preceding the date of the application
Have immediate family members (parents, children, siblings and spouse) who have lived in the council area for at least 3 years immediately preceding the date of the application
Currently serve in the regular armed forces of the Crown or have left regular service within the last 5 years

The Register More Information

To join a self-build register, you must meet the national eligibility criteria set out by the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Regulations 2016:

Over 18 years old
Either a British citizen, a national of an EEA state (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or any member state of the European Union) or a national of Switzerland
Seeking to build a home as your sole or main residence

The Regulations also allow Councils to set their own local criteria to establish a local connection to their area. The new approach will include local connection criteria that will split the register into two parts as outlined above.

To be on Part 1 or 2 of the register, in addition to meeting the national criteria, you must:

satisfy any local eligibility conditions set by the Council
have paid any fee required by the Council to enter or remain on the register
be seeking (either alone or with others) to acquire a serviced plot of land in the Council’s area for your own self-build and custom housebuilding project.

Cost recovery fees More Information

The Council can introduce fees to cover the costs of administering the Register. Any fees charged must be proportionate and not act as a deterrent for people to enter or remain in the register.

The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 also allows the Council to charge an entry fee to individuals and associations of individuals who apply to be entered on the register. The Council may also charge a different fee to an association of individuals than to individuals where the processing cost incurred is different.

Furthermore, the Council can charge a higher entry fee and an annual fee to those on the Part 1 register since their entry onto the register counts towards the number of suitable serviced plots that the Council should provide development permission.

The fees proposed in the Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register for Buckinghamshire Council proposal, have been carefully considered to ensure they reflect the cost likely to be incurred by the use of Council resources.

We also carried out benchmarking which showed that fees charged by some Local Authorities ranged from £20 - £165.

The cost recovery fees are not within scope of this consultation in-line with Planning Practice Guidance: Paragraph 034.

How to have your say

You can tell us your views in one of the following ways

Complete the online survey using the link at the end of the page
Email us at planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

If you have any questions about this activity, please email us at planningpolicyteam.bc@buckinghamshire.gov.uk or phone us on 01296 383698.

Please tell us your views by midnight on Monday 8 August 2022.

What happens next

We will carefully consider your responses and set out the key issues and the Council’s response in our consultation report. We will then make a recommendation for the final new approach to be adopted. If go-ahead is received, we plan to implement the new self-build register later in 2022.

Privacy

We will use the information you provide here only for this activity. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws and will not share or publish any personal details. For more information about data and privacy, please see our Privacy Policy

If you have questions about data and privacy, please email us on dataprotection@buckinghamshire.gov.uk. Or write to our Data Protection Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF.

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Closed 8 Aug 2022

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