The Self Build Register

The Self-Build and Custom House building Act 2015 places a duty on councils to keep a register of individuals and community groups locally who want to acquire land for self-build homes and to have regard to these registers in carrying out its planning function.

We are looking at  gathering evidence to see if there is a demand for this type of development within Staffordshire Moorlands. This information will then be used to inform the evidence base of the demand for this housing for a number of purposes including Local Plan review, assessing planning applications, and wider Council functions.

The Council's progress against it's legal duty of matching supply of self-build or custom-build plots against demand, according to annual base periods, is monitored in the self-build sections of the Council's Annual Monitoring Reports.

Read about the legislation.

Please be aware that self build homes are subject to the same requirement for planning permission as other homes.

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria below:

• you are over 18
• the property will be your sole or main residence
• you are a British citizen or a national of an EEA State (other than the UK), or Switzerland

Please note that those areas of Staffordshire Moorlands falling within the Peak District National Park are controlled by the separate Peak District National Park Planning Authority, which maintains its own self-build register. Consequently anyone wishing to register their interest for self-build within the Peak Park area should contact the Peak District National Park Planning Authority .

In submitting this form, you are agreeing that the Council can use the data you provide to understand the demand for custom-build and self-build housing in accordance with its published Planning privacy notice. 

Personal details included on the form will not be made public. However the Council will periodically publish general information from its register for informational purposes such as the number of entries, the demand for different types of plots, and desired locations.

Please note the following:

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council rarely has any plots of land available that are suitable for self-build projects.  Any that may become available will be advertised initially on the Council website, and then if necessary, via local estate and commercial agents and sometimes by public auction.  It is recommended that websites are checked regularly for surplus land and buildings disposals / acquisition opportunities.

Further enquiry can be made by emailing asset.management@staffsmoorlands.gov.uk although please note that we are not able to individually notify in advance, any proposed disposals prior to being advertised on the Council website or with local agents etc.  This is to ensure equal opportunity to all potentially interested parties.

Whilst the Council does have a responsibility under the self-build legislation to meet the quantified plot demand on the self-build register in general, this does not involve the matching of plot approvals to individuals on the register.

The Council has recently adopted a new Local Plan. Policy H1 contains expectations concerning self build housing.

Council Policy and Other Information

For those interested in identifying existing self-/custom-build opportunities in the Staffordshire Moorlands the Council's current evidence base includes:

Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) which identifies and assesses sites (largely in private or unknown ownership) across the District with potential for housing and brownfield register of allocated or permitted brownfield housing sites.

It is also possible to search for all current or previous housing approvals on the Council's planning application search facility or interactive planning map. 'Weekly lists' of current planning applications can be viewed here. 

External websites such as the Self Build Portal may also be relevant.