I love Oxfordshire. It was the place of my birth and my family still live there. Inspired by Oxford University alumni and Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien, I affectionately refer to the area as “The Shire”. However, while parts of the county resemble Tolkien’s pleasant Shire, Oxfordshire is also known for cutting-edge innovation. Rutherford Appleton Laboratory conducts ground-breaking nuclear fusion research and amazing scientists at Oxford University developed one of the world’s first approved COVID vaccines.
Oxfordshire’s innovative streak doesn’t end with science. On the southern edge of Bicester lies Graven Hill, the UK’s first and only self-build village. With 187 hectares, 1,900 dwellings, and limitless design possibilities, it may be the biggest planning experiment since the mid-century new towns.
I enjoyed a tour of the site in May, led by the engaging Phil Cringle, a member of the Graven Hill team and soldier of the Government’s ‘Self-Build Task Force.’ Encouragingly, all the other tour delegates were from Local Planning Authorities. Like me, they were keen to know more about self-build and how it could be delivered at scale. We boarded our minibus at Bicester Library; first stop: Graven Hill sales HQ. Typical of a major scheme, sales HQ will be the last home sold. Meanwhile, adverts decorate the walls, and deals are signed across the kitchen island. Gathering in the living room, we learnt about the site’s history.
Graven Hill is a former MOD site, bought by Cherwell council (with help from Homes England) in 2014, following outline approval. A council-owned delivery company was set up and a Local Development Order was quickly adopted (now in its third edition – adopted in 2020), setting out the phases, (seven) character areas, and schedules of typologies permitted under the Order. Planning applications are fast-tracked under a ‘Confirmation of Compliance’ procedure. This limits the scope of material considerations purely to assessing conformity with the Masterplan and Design Codes.
Each plot has its own ‘Passport’. These set out the policy that the detailed design of each house should meet, including GIA, height, parking, cycle storage, SUDs, and energy efficiency. The passports offer either ‘self’ or ‘custom’ build options, depending upon the provider, location, and (of course) budget. The whole process is rapid. Cherwell Council has just 28 days to approve its ‘Confirmation of Compliance’ applications and residents have only 18 months to complete their build. Unlike in real life however, designers and tradesmen are readily available. Apparently, they even call back.
Leaving sales HQ, it was clear that most of Graven Hill is a building site and will be for many years yet. At the time of my visit, there were 510 completions (averaging 95 p/a). Already, however, you sense what Graven Hill could become. Its character feels very different from other new build estates. Each design suggested new comparisons. Were we in Europe? North America? Gondor, maybe? Ultimately, nothing quite fit. Graven Hill has its own unique identity.
Like all experiments, there is room for improvement. A council Development Management Officer pointed out that the first-floor rear elevation of the dwelling adjacent to our sales HQ was almost entirely open, with perfect views into their neighbour’s living room. Individuality is encouraged, but there is no ‘Eye of Sauron’; no overarching authority watching cumulative amenity impacts. There simply appears to be a race to the glazers.
The Graven Hill bubble also pops somewhat as you pass the site’s affordable housing. This isn’t ‘pepper-potted’, but instead is predominantly delivered so far as fairly bland-looking terraces. I also note Graven Hill’s first residents’ association has complained recently about the development company entertaining interest from traditional volume builders. Cash flow is often the enemy of innovation.
At the final stop of our tour, renowned mouth and foot painter Tom Yendall showed us around his Dan-Wood modular/timber home. It was built in Poland and arrived on a lorry. Within a month, he’d moved in. Fittings were high spec and the house is very energy efficient. Tom chose Dan-Wood after the company supplied several units for his charity, Flat Spaces, which provides holiday accommodation for disabled people. We came away inspired by the opportunities that self-build can offer.
As a planner, I really enjoy working on self-build projects. There are few areas in planning that are so personal to people. Furthermore, self-build introduces more creativity into the built environment - benefitting everyone. I left the Graven Hill experiment feeling inspired – and wanting to do more to promote self-build. Hopefully, the LPA officers on my bus felt the same. There is clearly a lot we still need to learn about delivering self-build at scale. Nevertheless, Cherwell Council deserves a great deal of credit for giving it a go. As a boy from the “Shire”, I am proud to see that Oxfordshire’s reputation for innovation is alive and well.
You may be seeking planning support to build your own home. Please do get in touch. I'd love to help. I'll be able to manage your planning application, support your architect and/or prepare your appeal if needed.
For readers developing local plan policy or providers of self-build opportunities, it is important to explore demand for self-build as part of your evidence base. I am member of the Three Dragon’s team. We can help you with this. Please do feel free to ask us about our Demand Estimate Toolkit. Our model offers a robust, longer term picture of future demand than conventional self-build registers.
The Self-Build Task Force organise regular tours of Graven Hill through Eventbrite.
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