Planning

We recently obtained planning permission for a new self build home in a Somerset village located near the historic city of Bath. The plot of land located outside the village development boundary was being used as an illegal dump and initially not seen as developable by BaNES council. The proposal was taken to the council meeting and won by majority vote with local councillors voting in favour of the scheme.

Design

The new property has been designed to achieve an EPC ‘A’ rating with a fabric-first approach of very high levels of insulation and air tightness, meeting the current SCR6 policy rating for new housing in the Bath area. Policy SCR6 in Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) sets strict energy performance standards for new-build residential developments. Adopted in January 2023, this policy requires new homes to go beyond national building regulations to achieve net-zero operational emissions.

The house will be fitted with a 9.6kW solar panel array to the roof together with battery storage and an air source heat pump for the primary heating. Construction materials are being sourced locally with some recycled materials proposed which will lower the embodied carbon for the whole build. The proposed MVHR ventilation system will be able to extract heat from the stale air before bringing in fresh outdoor air. All these systems will reduce operational carbon and have the added benefit of reducing energy bills to a very low level for the home owners.

Finance

All self build projects are exempted for CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) which equals a saving of over £50k on this project. In addition all new build residential construction and materials costs are zero rated for VAT.

Project Team

Structural Engineer : GOWN Engineers Ltd.
Sustainability Consultant : SCS Partnership
Ecology Consultant: Country Contracts Ltd.

New self-build Enquiries

If you would like to do a self build home please register your interest with your local council. To register for a self-build, you must apply directly through your local council’s website to join their Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register, which helps them identify demand for housing. You must be over 18, a British/EEA/Swiss citizen, and intend to live in the home as your main residence.

The following link is for Somerset Council only. https://www.somerset.gov.uk/planning-buildings-and-land/somerset-self-build-and-custom-house-building/

For further information and reading please refer to the Right to Build Task Force https://righttobuild.org.uk/