Skip to main content
MyTWBC

Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Register


The purpose of the Register

The keeping of a Register is a statutory requirement of Government and will provide the Council with valuable information on the demand for self-build and custom housebuilding in the local area. This information will form a key part of the Council’s evidence base of demand for this type of housing and will influence future planning policies in the Council's new Local Plan currently being prepared.

Who is eligible to register?

Applications to be registered can be made by individuals or by individuals acting as an association. Each individual applicant and every member of an association that applies for entry on the Register must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • aged 18 or older;
  • a British citizen, a national of a EEA State other than the United Kingdom, or a national of Switzerland; and
  • seeking (either alone or with others) to acquire a serviced plot of land in the relevant authority’s area to build a house to occupy as that individual’s sole or main residence.

When applying to be entered on the Register as an association a member or officer must be identified to act as the lead contact for the purposes of correspondence between the association and the Council.

Information required for entries on the Register

For individual entries on the Register, the Council must record the name and address of the individual seeking registration together with other supporting information.

For associations, the following information must be recorded:

  • the name and address of the association;
  • the name and address (if different from that of the association) of the lead contact; and
  • the number of serviced plots of land in the relevant authority’s area the members of the association are seeking to acquire.

As part of the registration process, the Council can ask for additional information to be provided. This can help to give a greater understanding of the demand for self-build and custom housebuilding in the local area. In all cases, the date on which an entry was made on the Register (and the dates of any subsequent amendments) must be recorded.

The local authority is not required to publish its Register. However, it will publish general information on the demand for self-build and custom housebuilding in its Authority Monitoring Report.

How to apply to be placed on the Register

To apply to be entered onto the Council’s Register, please fill in and submit the registration form.

An application for entry on the Register will be determined within 28 days of receipt of the application and the applicant will be notified of the decision.

Registering involves no commitment on your part, neither does it infer availability of any self-build or custom housebuilding land.

If you have any questions about this Register, please contact planning.policy@tunbridgewells.gov.uk.

Further information

The Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Regulations 2016

The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding (Time for Compliance and Fees) Regulations 2016

Department of Communities and Local Government’s Self-build and custom housebuilding: draft planning practice guidance