Self-build Homes: The best and worst areas for construction revealed

New research has revealed the best and worst places in England for self-build homes.

Landscaping experts Marshalls have looked at a range of different factors, from the cost of land and construction to planning approval rate, and compiled a Home Build Index that ranks every local authority in England:

England’s top 10 locations for self-builds:

Rank	Council Area	Region	Planning Approval Rate	Residential Land Value per Hectare	Construction Costs vs National Average	Rogue Tradesperson Reports per 100,000 People in Region	Home Build Index Score
1	Newcastle-under-Lyme	West Midlands	88.29%	£1,000,000	-4%	80.01	7.82
2	Telford and Wrekin	West Midlands	90.40%	£1,230,000	-4%	80.01	7.71
3	Fenland	East	80.88%	£370,000	+3%	68.96	7.64
3	Nuneaton and Bedworth	West Midlands	90.00%	£1,370,000	-4%	80.01	7.64
5	Bolsover	East Midlands	100.00%	£370,000	-2%	84.08	7.61
6	Wolverhampton	West Midlands	86.05%	£1,165,000	-4%	80.01	7.54
7	North Kesteven	East	83.12%	£850,000	+3%	68.96	7.51
8	West Lindsey	East	78.82%	£370,000	+3%	68.96	7.49
8	Redcar and Cleveland	North East	97.78%	£400,000	-6%	93.78	7.49
10	East Lindsey	East	81.86%	£800,000	+3%	68.96	7.44
10	South Tyneside	North East	94.12%	£400,000	-6%	93.78	7.44

England’s top 5 most challenging locations for self builds:

Rank	Council Area	Region	Planning Approval Rate	Residential Land Value per Hectare	Construction Costs vs National Average	Rogue Tradesperson Reports per 100,000 People in Region	Home Build Index Score
1	Tower Hamlets	Inner London	51.55%	£39,885,000	+18%	57.77	2.78
2	Lewisham	Inner London	53.37%	£32,800,000	+18%	57.77	2.84
3	Richmond upon Thames	Outer London	49.57%	£24,600,000	+13%	57.77	2.93
4	Haringey	Inner London	57.89%	£24,310,000	+18%	57.77	2.95
5	Croydon	Outer London	36.88%	£12,315,000	+13%	57.77	2.97

According to the research:

Newcastle-under-Lyme is the best place in the country for self-builds, benefitting from a high planning approval rate of 88.29% and a comparatively low value of residential land at £1,000,000 per hectare, as well as lower than average construction costs in the region.
Telford and Wrekin takes second place. Though the cost of residential land in the area is higher than in Newcastle-under-Lyme at £1,230,000 per hectare, this part of the West Midlands has a slightly higher planning approval rate of 90.40%.
The best regions in England for new builds are the West Midlands and the East of the country.
The top 10 most challenging regions in England to build your own home are in Inner and Outer London.
Tower Hamlets is England’s most difficult council area to build your own home, where the cost of residential land is a massive £39,885,000 per hectare, while the planning approval rate is very low at just 51.55%.
Lewisham is the second worst place in the country if you want to build your own home, with a planning approval rate of 53.37%, while the cost of residential land is slightly lower than Tower Hamlets at (an eye-watering) £32,800,000 per hectare.

See the full research here: https://www.marshalls.co.uk/gardens-and-driveways/blog/home-build-index