1. Build Your Own Home - The London Way
supporting custom build housing
and community right to build
2 November 2013
Elinor Savage
Area Manager, Housing & Land
Hello
I’m Elinor Savage from the GLA’s housing and land department
Today I’m here in place of my colleague Tom Lloyd-Smith, who’s just become a father and is on paternity leave -
Wonder how he’s coping
Tom is the GLA’s lead on GLA funding for community right to build and custom build housing, but I know a bit about them too so I’ll talk about the funding that’s available and I’ll do my best to answer any questions you have, anything I can’t answer today I will take away and come back to you.

2. Today Mayor’s Statutory Role Mayor’s Priorities
Build Your Own Home – The London Way
Community Right to Build
Custom Build Housing
How to Bid
Further Information
Here’s what I’m going to cover today. I can send the slides around afterwards, so please don’t feel that you need to take notes.
Role in relation to housing and land…

3. 1. Mayor’s Statutory Role
Produce a statutory London Housing Strategy
Manage the budget and programme to deliver:
new affordable homes
improve existing social rented homes
other housing initiatives
£1.8 billion up to 2015
Manage a land and property portfolio of 550 hectares
Deliver a range of major regeneration projects
Responsibilities of the Homes and Communities Agency within London

4. 2. Mayor’s Priorities
Increase housing supply – 55,000 new affordable homes between 2011 and 2015 
Improve the quality of new and existing homes
Tackle homelessness and overcrowding
Create a single property unit – Land and Property Database
Secure development partners for major sites
Implement an agreed strategy for all property by 2016
London Development Panel
Affordable homes programme
Mayor’s Housing Covenant
Intermediate homes targeted at Working Londoners
Funding for new care and supported housing
Building the Pipeline Fund Further allocations during November and now ongoing bidding
Decent homes
No Second Night Out
Contains all the land owned by the GLA family, aside from TfL land – you can enquire about hat seperately.
Major sites – Royal Docks in Newham, Braking Riverside, Greenwich Penninsula
LDP – panel of housing developers – pre-selected
Design panel

5. 3. Build Your Own Home – the London Way
July 2012 – £8m (£5m for Custom Build and £3m for Community Right to Build)
September 2013 – £20m for London
Bidding Prospectus
Open for bidding now until March 2015
Part of a national pot of money…London’s share

6. 4. Community Right to Build
Localism Act new power to communities to build new homes, shops, businesses or facilities without going through the normal planning application process
Community Right to Build Order
Community referendum >50% of local people must agree
Plans must be generally in line with national and local planning policy
Corporate body to further the social, economic and environmental well-being of the local community
The new powers give communities the freedom to build new homes, shops, businesses or facilities where they want them, without going through the normal planning application process.
To get the go-ahead, the proposals must:
have the agreement of more than 50% of local people that vote through a community referendum
meet some minimum requirements (for example, they should generally be in line with national planning policies and strategic elements of the local plan)
Members of the community will need to set themselves up as a corporate body with the purpose of furthering the social, economic and environmental well-being of the local community. The developments would then be managed by this corporate body. Any benefits from any development which come to the body must be retained or used for the benefit of the community.
While it will be for communities themselves to identify suitable land, sources of finance and secure local agreement for their proposals, the government is funding a package of support to help communities that want to use the right.

7. Community Right to Build Funding
Resource funding
Kickstart take up of Community Right To Build
Contribute to the costs of preparing an application for a Community Right to Build Order
Up to 90% of costs
Not development finance
Payment in arrears upon achieving four key milestones:
Corporate body established
Initial proposals developed, project eligibility and outline feasibility study completed
Detailed proposals developed
Valid application for a Community Right to Build Order submitted
Funding can be paid in stages, once each milestone is achieved.
It may be that after achieving some of the milestones, you decide that the CRT route is not the best route, and submit a usual planning applicatio instead,

8. Funding Criteria Plans to become a corporate body
Evidence of community engagement
and consultation
3. Land identified
Plans to secure a legal interest in the
land
5. Clear plans to designate the area as a
‘neighbourhood area’

9. 5. Custom Build Housing
Homes built or commissioned by individuals or groups for their own use, by building the home or working with builders
Funding available for group self-build, not individuals
Loan funding for up to 75% of the project costs
Interest rates ranging from 2.3% to 11.7% per annum
Qualifying expenditure:
Land acquisition costs
Site preparation costs
Construction costs
S106 planning obligations
Associated professional fees
Known as self-build

10. 6. How to Bid Bidding Prospectus Speak to the GLA Application form
Assessment & Recommendation
Contract
Take professional advice
Contact LA housing and planning teams

11. 7. Further Information
Local Authorities know about available land