Hello from Bristol

[MikeR]

I've just found this forum online and what a good resource it's going to be for me as I embark on my self-build journey.

 

Briefly, I'm looking to set up a group self-build scheme on my land in Bristol (9 houses with outline permission) - I've had some custom build companies sniffing around already but I'd rather offer it to 8 other individuals and let them make equity/profit from building their house rather than a developer. 

 

My current plan is to recruit 8 members (8 + me) and form the group into a self-build co-operative so that they are a legal entity enabling to borrow sufficient funds to buy the land, put in the road/infrastructure and obtain mortgages (if needed) to fund their self-build.

 

Has any other members of the forum ever had experience of doing this sort of thing?

 

Your thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

[Nickfromwales]

Hi and welcome Mike. 

Sounds like a meaty project . 

Take a seat, the replies will follow ( and we have some damn knowledgable folk here too  ). 

Any chance of a site map? Maybe some lurkers on here who may be near you / interested. 

[MikeR]

The post code of my site is BS32 4JH - it's about 7 miles north west from the centre of Bristol and about a mile from where the M4 and M5 cross each other - it never occurred to me that there could be some interested parties on this forum so thanks Nickfromwales!

[TheMitchells]

we are always interested in possible plots!  Just a bit too far for me - the commute to bicester would be a tad too long. 

[Ferdinand]

6 hours ago, MikeR said:

I've just found this forum online and what a good resource it's going to be for me as I embark on my self-build journey.

 

Briefly, I'm looking to set up a group self-build scheme on my land in Bristol (9 houses with outline permission) - I've had some custom build companies sniffing around already but I'd rather offer it to 8 other individuals and let them make equity/profit from building their house rather than a developer. 

 

My current plan is to recruit 8 members (8 + me) and form the group into a self-build co-operative so that they are a legal entity enabling to borrow sufficient funds to buy the land, put in the road/infrastructure and obtain mortgages (if needed) to fund their self-build.

 

Has any other members of the forum ever had experience of doing this sort of thing?

 

Your thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

 

Congratulations on getting it through over (I think) the officer recommendation - I think that is quite remarkable even if you were landed with a reasonably large S106. I would have assessed your chances at about 12:1 against, or higher.

 

There are a couple of people around, but no one I know who had actually done one themselves. On Ebuild there was a chap up in the lakes who was doing a similar cul-de-sac in the country thing, who was knocking around for several years making changes to his plans. I think his development was Flosh Meadows. He was selling off individual plots.

 

I think it may be useful to have slightly fewer simultaneous threads than you have launched. Project thread plus extras for significant issues?

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited September 2, 2017 by Ferdinand

[MikeR]

Hi Ferdinand - many thanks for your comments about fewer threads - I'll certainly bear that in mind from now on.

 

You're quite right about my chances of success in submitting an application especially as I'm in the green belt and outside of the settlement boundary! In the majority of cases it would have been dead in the water. However, with the recent Govt initiatives relating to self-building, I thought that I might have a chance so long as I emphasised that this project was being aimed at self-builders and no way would my land ever be offered to a mainstream developer. However even then I was relying on it being called in by one of the committee members because it was still destined for refusal. Thankfully one of them, who it seems was very supportive of the principle of self-guiding, did call it in and on the day he along with a couple of others on the committee joined forces and managed to persuade the majority of the others to approve. During the site visit I did manage to find out that my council had never approved a group self-build scheme before and that some of the committee members felt that if my application was approved that they would be going into the unknown so at the full committee meeting two weeks later I offered my site as a "pilot study" and promised to keep them informed at all stages of the project so that they could learn for the future. This offer did strike a chord with some of the members and perhaps it did help my case in some small way.

 

My advice to anybody else with a "difficult site" would be to engage with the committee members as early as possible as you may eventually need them as an ally at a later date.

 

I'll take a look at the website in Lakes to see if I can glean anything.

 

Mike

 

 

[Pocster]

Oooooooo I'm in Brizzle!

Very interested!!

 

Hey I got planning for a semi underground house in the most contrived area in Bristol (BS9) ; fighting the council and neighbours for 5 years. I know the game!! 

[climbinggeorge]

A bit late but I'm also in Bristol and am part of a group that is self building although organised a slightly different way, this is a touch further south down the motorway at Lawrence Weston.
There is plenty of appetite and interesting talks/workshops in the area

[Gav_P]

I just found this thread... @MikeR how are you getting on with this idea... I’m only a couple of miles from you and very interested in the concept.

 

@pocsterI have read through several of your horror story threads and only just realised that you are in brizzle too! What area is your underground bunker? Have you put your plans on here? 

[Pocster]

2 minutes ago, Gav_P said:

I just found this thread... @MikeR how are you getting on with this idea... I’m only a couple of miles from you and very interested in the concept.

 

@pocsterI have read through several of your horror story threads and only just realised that you are in brizzle too! What area is your underground bunker? Have you put your plans on here? 

Hey 

Some of the plans are around here somewhere .?

Bunker / love nest is in bs9 ! ?

[Gav_P]

I’m in Westbury Park everyday... just across the downs from your neighbourhood.

[Pocster]

3 minutes ago, Gav_P said:

I’m in Westbury Park everyday... just across the downs from your neighbourhood.

PM me if you want a nose !

[Gav_P]

I had a very interesting chat yesterday with   @MikeR regarding his progress on his group selfbuild. 

 

He has done exceptionally well and has outline planning agreed for 9 good size self builds. And having dealt with South Glos planning, I know how difficult they can be!

 

He has his required 8 other owner/builders onboard and they are all in various stages of their design. But it will be a collection of high end contemporary design. 

[Ferdinand]

20 minutes ago, Gav_P said:

I had a very interesting chat yesterday with   @MikeR regarding his progress on his group selfbuild. 

 

He has done exceptionally well and has outline planning agreed for 9 good size self builds. And having dealt with South Glos planning, I know how difficult they can be!

 

He has his required 8 other owner/builders onboard and they are all in various stages of their design. But it will be a collection of high end contemporary design. 

 

Kudos to @MikeR.

 

I was very skeptical as to whether it could move forward, but the man gets a pat on the back for making that progress.

 

F

[Gav_P]

Funnily enough he seems to have inspired someone else in our village to do the same. They are in the process of applying for outline planning for 4 large exec homes, and they seem to be taking the same approach to Mike. South glos planing PT16/6161

 

Mikes is PT16/3579