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Oh I'm not considering it for thermal properties at all. The main attraction is it's quickly diyable, the blocks are half the weight of concrete, comes supplied with the thinset mortar, you can get a quick applicator and the blocks are easy to cut. It's also much lower embodied carbon than block or brick. There are a good number of downsides too and until I get to the point of serious design on a new place I can't fully weigh them but the points above is why its a focus for when I get there. For context, the flat I currently live in has had problems with both cladding/fire safety and also water ingress. So for anything I do in future, I want to use things that are non-combustable and can survive getting wet.

But thinking more. If you are focussed on being a standard construction, then trying to come up with what seems like a novel approach for a new build (50mm cavity then IWI) would seem counter to that. A small uninsulated cavity with IWI is something done to retrofits and is likely a lot of extra work with a lot of compromises. Sticking with a standard cavity construction (though with a wider cavity for extra insulation) would seem like the safest bet.

Porotherm is currently top of my list for my build (if I can find a plot for it). I believe it would count as standard blockwork as far as mortgage lenders go (pretty sure I've read that somewhere but you should obviously check). Not sure it makes sense financially though unless you plan to diy. It's supposedly much easier/quicker to lay, but this means that bricklayers aren't keen and you will likely eat a lot of the time savings with the time they take to get up to speed and the higher cost of the blocks. Also questionable whether you'd want to use it on an external rendered wall (manufacturer supports that use but I've seen people here with concerns/issues with that so if I use it I think it'd need either EWI or some form of rainscreen to keep it dry).

The consultant didn't mention it, it doesn't ring a bell and a quick search through the local plan and core strategy for 'cluster' doesn't show anything relevant. I'll skim through it again for alternative wording later but odd's are no.

Sorry for the thread hijack: Have you talked about this elsewhere on the site? I didn't see one after a quick Google. Not got a plot yet so it's a bit early for me, but when I get there I'd like an insulated slab like the Kore ones so wondered if there are any lessons learnt that you could share?

Ok update! I found another consultant company. They were willing to chat on the phone for a bit during the intro call. Clarified a couple of things: 1. Infill exception is only valid for places that meet a certain definition for a village (have a pub, church, or similar). The plot I was looking at is technically in a hamlet so would be a no-go on that basis (with appeal case history confirming). In hindsight this aspect is something I could have probably answered myself if I'd framed the question in my mind in the right way, I knew that a lot hinged on whether it was infill and that being infill was uncertain but hadn't thought of a way of answering that without talking to a planner. 2. This doesn't stand: The planners definition of openness, is much less about this than whether there are existing buildings on the land. I do wonder though if a thread talking through the assessment of various plots would be useful. This site seems to have a lot on what to do after you've got one, not so much on finding them. I've got four or 5 now that I've seriously looked (mostly as excercises) that that I could talk about.

@Jilly My question was more aimed at how you ended up choosing/suceeding on a green belt plot. Based on my reading of this site, £25k for all professional fees seems pretty reasonable, certainly about what I've had in mind. TBH I assume the fees on a green belt plot would be a bit higher than that. Yes, it's very frustrating, and the sites that do show up either tend to sell almost instantly or have significant difficulties. The plot is up for auction and time is short, this is why I think this plot is off the cards for me. At this point I mostly want to know why the planning consultant suggested it wasn't worth a detailled look so that I can better make that assessment next time. With more time and the ability to negotiate with the vendor I'd be able to wait for my preferred planning consultant to become free in January and have time to work through some of the other issues.

I tend to think that a pre-app for a green belt plot will get a default answer of no. To get planning on green belt you need a lot of detail going through all the policies explaining why your plan works according to those policies, etc, and obviously thats something that would cost a fair bit (time + money) to prepare. I asked the consultant for a sample report and was told no. The reason for this thread was to ask for recommendations for another consultant. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

To buy a ready to build plot would require me to sell my current place to free up funds. I can't do that just now (cladding issues in the process of being resolved) but expect to be able to in a year or two. So in the mean time I'm looking for places that I could buy now and work on over the next couple of years getting planning. Price dependent I can afford to take some risk, but only of the 'relatively good chance of planning given its green belt' sort, not the 'complete longshot' sort. Potential to save money due to the uplift is of course a consideration but not the primary motivation. 25k to the planning consultant, or all the professional fees to get to the point of planning? If you don't mind could you say a bit more about what happened in your case? Indeed. I'm disappointed the first one I found is unavailable as he looked good. Second one don't know much about other than the first guys recommendation.

I was focused mainly on limited infilling in villages. The local plan does talk about allowing limited infilling in villages, but they list villages where they would consider it and this one is not on the list - so that was an open question for me how critical that list is and also whether the plot can be reasonably called infill. I was also thinking there might be a case to argue it's grey belt as on the local plan the plot is in an area that is shown as minimal contribution to the green belt purposes bar the 'preserving the green belt openness'. On that point the plot is surrounded by properties on all sides (there are open bits of land a little further away). Additionally, the plot is surrounded by trees/growth that hides what I would consider building on it from most angles. I do not have the deep pockets required for a Para 80 property, I also don't think the property is really open countryside. It is right on the border of non-green belt space.

For the last couple of weeks I've been evaluating a green belt plot, reading the relevant local plans, NPPF, nearby planning apps, etc. My conclusion to this was that I thought the plot had decent potential to get planning (relative to other green belt plots I've looked at - I know building on green belt is diffcult in the best circumstances). I've now spoken to two planning consultants. The first (my preferred) was too busy to help. The second, had a quick look and has suggested the plot is high risk, he would be willing to do a full appraisal on it for £1000 but isn't willing to have a chargable 30 min call to discuss. I have to assume he is correct as to the risk and my previous evaluation is wrong and therefore I don't want to spend £1000 on the full appraisal. But I'd very much like to get a better understanding of how he reached that initial determination both to confidently rule out this plot and as education for my continued search. So how do I move forward from here? I plan to discuss it in more detail here in due course, but I'm a little hesitant to advertise the plot here until I've confidently ruled it out. In the mean time does anyone have any recommendations for a planning consultant in the north London/Hertfordshire area who is willing to charge for a conversation vs only offering full blown written apprasials? Any other thoughts/suggestions greatly appreciated.

Definitely not ruling anything out. Just haven't found much that fits into this category that seems to work price wise. Thanks. Because I live pretty close to zone 1 and need to move quite a bit further out I can't really pull the 'I'm local' card, as much as I'd like to, seems a relatively common success story. Somehow I've not noticed that site before. Is it worth a membership? I have read "How to find and buy a building plot" thanks to a recommendation on here. Any similar suggestions (that don't just duplicate whats in it) would be appreciated.

Thanks. I have three main requirements: 1. Warm house with low bills (easy with new build, trickier with modifying existing buildings) 2. Space for a workshop area outside of the main living space - garage/garden room/etc 3. Relatively close to my divorced parents, both of whom are getting to the age where being close matters I'm trying my best to keep an open mind. Not keen on demolish and rebuild (at least not on a building that isn't already falling down) but definitely looking at the others along with buying a place to split off part of the garden or making offers to buy multiple bits of garden from different houses to make one plot. My current flat is mortgage free and assuming the cladding issues are resolved should cover the build with contingency. But obviously can't sell it right now without taking a hit to value because the issues are not yet resolved. In the mean time I'm more focused on finding plots that I could afford to buy from savings (which are much more limited than the value of the flat) though these are both tricky and rare. I don't want to take on debt. Ultimately I think I will have to wait until I can sell my flat before I can do anything but I'm keeping my eyes open now in case I get lucky and also to refine my knowledge so that when the time comes I can make quick decisions. Thanks

Hi All, I'm really glad I found this site, it's a treasure trove of useful knowledge. I've been lurking here for about a year, without a plot or active project I've not felt I've had much to contribute but now I have a time sensitive question about finding plots so it's time to say hello. I'm currently based in London, stuck in a flat affected by Grenfell related cladding issues. Thankfully that appears to be coming to an end for us soon (recent fire report showed limited changes need to be made) and once they are done the property should be more easily mortgageable and thus easier to sell. I'm relatively financially constrained but I have lots of free time so I'm looking for a largely DIY self build in an area commutable to London. I have a technical / IT background so find the theoretical aspects of building relatively easy but I don't have much practical experience but that doesn't put me off. What is getting frustrating is finding a plot, but I feel we are all in the same boat or have been here. If I'm not careful I could write an essay here so I think I'll stop now. Now I've introduced myself I hope to be able to contribute where I can, though probably limited until I find a plot.