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Self build housing

Self build or custom build is simply the process of designing, planning and building your own home.

There are several routes to building your own home and the level of involvement you have can vary greatly depending which way you choose. Some people wish to manage the design and construction process and do the building and labouring work themselves while others commission a contractor to do it for them.

Projects range from individual homes on single plots to group projects on larger sites.

To understand what type of self build is best for you and your budget please visit the Self Build Portal:

Self build register

Stroud District Council is committed to supporting people to build their own home and has developed a register to find out what the demand is for self-build/custom build plots in the area.  We will use the information to support negotiation with developers on self-build provision on larger housing sites – see our Local Plan Policy HC3 and to guide future policy making. We shall also be exploring ways in which it might be possible for people and plots to be brought together.

Signing up to the register does not guarantee that a suitable plot will be identified or made available to you.   We do not offer assistance to individual self or custom housebuilders to identify or secure plots.

  • The Self-Build and Custom Housebuilding Regulations 2016 allowed local authorities to set local eligibility criteria ("a local connection test") and charge fees for joining the register. 

    In order to register you must meet the basic eligibility criteria set by Central Government:

    • Aged 18 or over
    • A British citizen, a national of a EEA State other than the UK, or a national of Switzerland
    • Seeking (either alone or with others) to acquire a serviced plot of land in the Stroud District to build a house to occupy as your sole or main residence

    Part 1 - People or groups of individuals who meet the local connection test

    To be eligible to go on the main part of the register (Part 1) you must also meet one of the following local connection tests:

    • Have had your only, or principal home in the Stroud District for a continuous period of at least 6 months out of the last 12 months immediately before applying to the register; or
    • Have had your only, or principal home in the Stroud District for a continuous period of not less than 3 years out of the past 5 years immediately before applying to the register; or
    • Have been permanently employed in the Stroud District for a continuous period of not less than 6 months immediately prior to applying to join the register; or
    • Have immediate family members (adult children, siblings, parents) who have lived in the Stroud District continuously for at least 5 years prior to applying to join the register.

    *The only exception to the above will be members of the Armed Forces. Any person who is in the service of the regular armed forces of the Crown is deemed to satisfy the connection test, and anyone who has previously served in the armed forces will be deemed to satisfy the connection test for a period of 5 years after leaving service.

    For groups applying to join the register - each individual household of the group will need to meet the above criteria for the association to qualify

    We are only required to grant sufficient planning permissions for serviced plots to meet the demand from this part of the register.

    Part 2 - People or groups of individuals who meet the basic eligibility criteria but do not meet the local connection test

    This part of the register keeps track of general demand for self-build and custom build and will inform planning policy and the Council’s overall approach to self-build and custom housebuilding.   There is no requirement for us to grant sufficient development permissions for serviced plots of land to meet this demand.

For Part 1 of the register there is a fee of £25.  For associations (groups) joining each individual household will need to pay £25.

For Part 2 of the register the fee is £10.

You can start the registration process by completing the application form below.  We will then be in touch with next steps.

The register will provide an indication of the demand for self-build and custom house building in the Stroud District and will help us inform the development of planning and housing policy.

The register will not be a public document, but headline information will be published in monitoring reports, for example, the number of plots and types of houses required.

We will not pass identifiable information from the Register onto anyone outside the Council without the written consent of the person who registered their details.

If you have any problems registering or need to update your entry on the self-build and custom build register please email housing.strategy@stroud.gov.uk.

Further help and advice

For useful information about self build/custom build projects and what you will need to consider in deciding the right route for you, visit: