The plan should be amended to set out a greater requirement and emphasis on self build.

This should have regard to:

(a) appreciation of the self build register being the lower end of anticipated demand (in the absence of public and community engagement and promotion activity).

(b) the particular opportunities for self build to be a good fit with the distinctive northern part of the district (outside the national park).

The CDC Register represents the minimum self build requirement in the area. It is the minimum required of a Local Authority and does not reflect S&CB demand of people and households not already active in the sector.

There has not been proactive activity to take S&CB seriously. CDC are not fulfilling their statutory duties as encouraging, promoting, advertising and educating their councillors and their residents in the many benefits of S&CB. At present CDC are doing very little to help or encourage this to their Register Members, residents and others in finding suitable building plots, suitable mortgage funding, suitable builders and sub-contractors etc. Resistance to Self and Custom Build (S&CB) is clearly shown in the lack of meaningful input within the policy and supporting text. Possibly because of lack of education in S&CB as a housing alternative.

The Council has not taken seriously the contemporary potential of Self Build to enable working age people to invest and remain in the area contributing to the organic evolution and reasonable growth of established settlements.

S&CB has unique contemporary potential and a position in the housing market to address emerging housing demand from families and residents of the district. This is in terms of available demographic and economic evidence as well as insights within local communities and positive attitudes towards self build development enabling organic proportionate growth of settlements supporting the economy and social life as well as diversifying housing supply towards local housing demand and need.

In seeking out potential sites, especially in the Loxwood parish for 100% S&CB housing in order to offset major developer housing and the loss of character of the village because of the influx of poor developer standards and loss of community ‘add ons’ such as a Post Office, a larger primary school etc.

The lack of a positive approach to the distinct nature of the north of the district leaves it vulnerable to inappropriate homogeneous large scale housing estate development that does little to broaden housing choice in the local area.