Self build and Custom House building

Last Updated: 30 August 2024

The Self Build and Custom Housing Building Act 2015 requires Local Authorities to keep and maintain a register of individuals and groups who are seeking to acquire serviced plots to self build or custom build homes.

Self build is when you are directly involved in organising the design and construction of your new home. Custom build is when you work with a Developer to help you construct your new home. Sometimes these methods merge such as when custom build Developers offer the option of a serviced plot where you can design and build your own home as part of a larger scheme.

Self Build and Custom House Building Register application form (PDF 264KB / 4 pages)

Eligibility to join our register

Any individual or each individual in a group or association will need to meet the following criteria. You must be:

By joining our register, you will help us:

  • find out more about the demand for serviced plots for self build and custom house building in this area
  • explore ways in which we may bring people and plots together
  • develop our future housing and planning policies. Our current policies can be found in our:

Parts of the South Lakeland district are within National Parks. To express interest in self build in those areas, contact the relevant National Park planning authority to join their self build register:

Lake District National Park
Tel: 01539 724 555
Email: planning@lakedistrict.gov.uk

Yorkshire Dales National Park
Tel: 01969 652 349
Email: planning@yorkshiredales.org.uk

Our interactive boundary map outlines which planning authority covers the area where you are seeking a plot.

Remember that any self build or custom house building project will require planning advice.

Tips to find plots of land:

Amend/removal from register

Contact us in writing to amend or remove your details from the register. In the case of an Association, the lead contact must put the request to us in writing.

Published register

Data from our register below shows the locations where current members have expressed an interest in building their own homes. Owners and Developers with serviced plots of land for sale can provide their contact and plot details to the Housing Strategy team who will pass them on to those on the register. To try and match your plot site with potential interest, please enter the location in the search field below.

Note: The general requirements of a serviced plot of land are that the plot has access to a public highway and connections for electricity, water and waste water.

Register of individuals and groups seeking serviced plots to self build or custom build homes
Registered plot seeker unique number Locations of interest
5 Cartmel, Grange, Kendal, Levens, Witherslack
34 Flookburgh
35 Flookburgh
40 Cartmel
28 Kendal, Oxenholme
38 Kendal, Ulverston and surrounding area
22 Kendal
39 Kendal
55 Kendal
57 Kendal
32 Burneside, Kendal, Levens, Burton, Holme, Endmoor, Old Hutton
36 Burton-in-Kendal
47 Burton-in-Kendal
49 Burton-in-Kendal
50 Burton-in-Kendal
51 Beetham
54 Arnside, Beetham, Burton-in-Kendal, Hutton Roof, Holme, Kirkby Lonsdale, Lupton,
Heversham, Milnthorpe, Hincaster, Levens, Preston Patrick and Richard
58 Heversham
46 Kirkby Lonsdale
37 High Carley, Pennington Parish, Ulverston
41 High Carley, Pennington Parish, Ulverston
42 High Carley, Pennington Parish, Ulverston
43 Ulverston, Lowick Greenodd
44 Ulverston
53 Ulverston Pennington, Aldingham and Urswick
45 Ulverston, Oxenholme & Witherslack
62 Kirkby Ireleth
52 Unspecified
18 any
20 any
25 Unspecified
56 Unspecified Rural
59 Unspecified Rural Village
60 Unspecified Rural Village
61 Coastal areas
64 Unspecified Rural Village
17 Endmoor
65 Kirkby Ireleth, Egton-on-Newlands, Broughton West, Osmotherly
66 Cartmel
67 Kirkby Lonsdale
68 Levens, Helsington, Sedgwick
69 Unspecified Town/Village/Rural
70 Unspecified Town/Village/Rural
71 Unspecified Town/Village/Rural
72 Unspecified Town/Village/Rural
73 Unspecified Town/Village/Rural
74 Various South Lakeland/Rural
75 Oxenholme, Kendal, Town
76 Staveley, Ings, Surrounding Kendal Area, Village, Rural
77 Unspecified/Rural
78 Kendal, Ulverston, Milnthorpe, Grange-over-Sands, Arnside, Cartmel, Levens
79 Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale
80 Holme/Burton
81 Unspecified Town/Village/Rural
82 Unspecified Town/Village/Rural
83 South Kendal
84 Silverdale/Arnside
85 Unspecified Town/Village/Rural
86 Silverdale/Arnside
87 Unspecified Town/Village/Rural
88 Milnthorpe, Kendal, Levens, Burton in Kendal, Holme, Endmoor, Oxenholme, Burneside, Heversham, Hincaster
89 Kendal. Kirkby Lonsdale, Sedbergh and surrounding areas
90 Kendal
91 Unspecified
92 Lower Holker
93 Flookburgh
94 Burneside, Selside, Grayrigg, Patton Bridge, Kendal, Natland, Sedgwick, Staveley, Meal Bank
95 Rural / unspecified
96 Any Parishes/area within 25 miles of Kendal Town Centre
97 Kendal
98 Unspecified village
99 Unspecified
100 Unspecified Village
101 Ulverston
102 Unspecified Rural
103 Underbarrow & Bradleyfield
104 Unspecified

Data returns

At the end of each base period, we have three years in which to permission an equivalent number of plots of land, which are suitable for self-build and custom house building, as there are entries for that base period.

Entries added to register for each base period
Base period and base year Number of individual entries added to self-build register during base period Number of association/group entries added to self-build register during base period Self-build plots granted permission in the base period
1, 01 Apr 2016 to 30 Oct 2016 17 0 14
2, 31 Oct 2016 to 30 Oct 2017 14 0 27
3, 31 Oct 2017 to 30 Oct 2018 21 0 22
4, 31 Oct 2018 to 30 Oct 2019 9 0 38
5, 31 Oct 2019 to 30 Oct 2020 9 0 21
6, 31 Oct 2020 to 30 Oct 2021 15 0 9
7 31 Oct 2021 to 30 Oct 2022 10 0 20
8 31 Oct 2022 to 30 Oct 2023 5 0 9

Self-build plots granted permission in the base period are the number of permissions granted following the formal planning application process. Entry onto our Register does not form part of a planning application nor does it mean you will be granted permission.

Help to Build: Equity Loan

Find out about the government's loan scheme to help you own your own home: Own you home: Help to Build Scheme.

Custom and self-build homes guidance

National Custom & Self Build Association portal
Which? How to build your own home
Guidance: self build and custom housebuilding