Government Launches £150m Help To Build Mortgage Scheme

Published / Last Updated on 26/04/2021

A new Help to Build Scheme has been launched by the Government to enable people to custom build a new home with just a 5% deposit alongside a Government backed equity loan, like the Help to Buy Scheme.

The new scheme has £150 million in funding and as part of the Governments self-build Action Plan and will provide funding for local authorities to develop public land for custom and self-build housing.  It will also include a review into how delivery of custom and self-build housing can be increased and accelerated.

The Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) is designed to support local authorities present their Brownfield sites for housing development and custom-build serviced plots.

To support local authorities release brownfield and greenfield sites that they own for self and custom build developments, the fund will give each eligible English authority £25 million capital grant.

One Public Estate will administer the fund and it must be utilised before March 2022.

Priority will be given to projects which align with the Government’s ambition to level up the housing market and the degree to which projects will support deprived areas of the country,  funding is for capital works, to release self and custom build plots by the end of March 2024 and must also address a local market failure.

Early Autumn could see a change in the law as part of potential new planning reform legislation, as the Government has also committed to reviewing Right to Build legislation, ensuring councils provide enough land and take proper consideration when making planning decisions in their area for these homes.

Funding for the Right to Build Task Force will also continue from the Government, ensuring councils, landowners and industry have access to technical support to bring forward more opportunities for self and custom build housing.

Comment

This is another bonus for prospective self builderts as the government looks to tackle to housing shortage crisis.

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