Self-build housing

What self-build housing is, why we want to support quality homes, register for the self-build housing list, the published list, how to learn more.

We're compiling a list of people who are interested in self-building a home in Renfrewshire. By signing up, you'll help us find out more about:

the demand for self-build plots in the area
where people would like their plots to be
the types of house people would like to build.

What self-build housing is

Self-build housing is when you commission or are personally involved in the design and construction of a dwelling that is intended to be your main residence once it's built. You can do this alone or with other individuals.

You can project manage your build with sub-contractors or use a single contractor for a turnkey solution. This does not mean you have to do all the physical work yourself. It's your choice.

Our self-build list covers:

self-build housing: when a person builds their own house or appoints their own builder
custom-build housing: when a person tasks a house builder to tailor a home to their preferences before it is built
collective self-build: when a group gets together to build their homes
co-housing: an intentional, mutually-supportive community with shared communal space
self-provided housing: a collective term for self-build housing, custom-build housing, and collective self-builds.

Why we want to support quality homes

We want to support the delivery of more high quality, affordable, and sustainable homes. These should be in the right locations, providing choice across tenures that meet the diverse housing needs of people and communities.

Good quality homes should be at the heart of great places and contribute to strengthening the health and wellbeing communities. We want to ensure the provision of land in the right locations to accommodate future need and demand for new homes, supported by the appropriate infrastructure.

To help tackle climate change, we'll need more energy efficient, net-zero-emissions homes. This will support a greener, fairer, and more inclusive wellbeing economy and community wealth building, tackling both fuel and child poverty.

The National Planning Framework (NPF4) sets out:

proposals for new homes that improve affordability and choice by being adaptable to changing and diverse needs, and which address identified gaps in provision, will be supported. This could include: self-provided homes; accessible, adaptable and wheelchair accessible homes; affordable homes; a range of size of homes, such as those for larger families; homes for older people including supported accommodation; and homes for other specialist groups
development proposals for new homes on land not allocated for housing in the Local Development Plan will only be supported in limited circumstances.
other policies such as on design, brownfield first, and rural homes that should be taken into account in considering sites and designing self-build homes.

Read the full National Planning Framework (Scottish Government website).

Register for the self-build housing list

We'll monitor this list of people with a registered interest in acquiring land in Renfrewshire for self-builds, alongside broader housing market data. This will help to inform proposals and policies in Renfrewshire's Local Development Plan.

We'll use the information to explore ways in which it might be possible for people and plots to be brought together. Registration does not guarantee that a suitable plot will be identified or become available for you.

To ensure the information is up to date, we'll update the list every year, contacting you to check if you still want to be on the list. If you want us to remove your details at any point or are no longer interested in a self-build plot, email us at localplanconsultation@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

The published list

Under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, we are required to publish the self-build housing list.

In line with data protection, we'll remove your personal details, apart from your name, before publishing or updating the list online.

How to learn more

You can learn more about housing in Scotland from these non-council resources:

Renfrewshire Council