As set out in the housing policy paper Homes Fit for the 21st Century, the Scottish Government is keen to encourage greater use of self-build across Scotland to help increase housing supply by developing a package of advice for potential self-builders. Self-build is particularly important to give people the opportunity to own a home and remain in their communities in many rural areas, and it also provides opportunities for households in other areas to choose the type of home they want and make sure it meets their needs.
The Scottish Government has developed a Self Build Guide to help people who are new to self build understand what is involved and where to go to find out more. The guide gives anyone considering self build in Scotland for the first time an idea of the issues, costs, and possibilities that need to be considered.
In July 2011 the National Self Build Association (NaSBA), working jointly with the UK Government and with input from the Scottish Government, published an action plan to promote the growth of self-build in the UK. This was created after more than six months of work and involved over 100 experts in the self-build sector or work with self-builders. A number of the commitments in the plan also apply to Scotland and further details will be provided soon on specific actions being taken forward for self-builders in Scotland.