Kevin McCloud has been appointed by the self-build industry to support the national surge of interest in people looking to design and build their own home.

Housing Minister Grant Shapps said he was delighted that the National Self Build Association had appointed Mr McCloud, presenter of Channel 4's Grand Designs and an architecture specialist, and he was the ideal choice to help aspiring self-builders achieve their dreams.

Mr Shapps also announced a new £30 million fund for self builders, which will provide short-term finance to help unlock projects where groups of self-build homes are built at the same time.

With the number of mortgages available to self-builders set to rise by 141 per cent, and over 100,000 people looking for self-build plots across the country, Mr Shapps said the self-build industry was "riding the crest of a wave".

Yet despite this interest, Britain still lags behind the rest of the world, with just one in ten of all homes each year built by self-builders - so the Government has pledged to double the size of the industry.

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To mark the start of his new role, Mr McCloud today accompanied the Housing Minister as he leads a UK trade delegation to the Netherlands, to see what lessons can be learnt from the highly successful Dutch self-build industry.

They visited Almere near Amsterdam, the largest low-cost self-build experiment in Europe, which has grown rapidly in recent years. The Minister travelled with a delegation from the UK housing industry, and hosted an event with Dutch Ministers and business leaders at the British Embassy to boost trade and links between Dutch and British businesses.

Mr Shapps also announced that he will shortly be launching a new £30 million fund to provide short-term finance for projects similar to those at Almere, where groups of self-build homes are built at the same time.

These types of projects have been held back in the UK because of reluctance by lenders to provide finance. Self-build groups will now be able to bid for a slice of the cash to part fund land acquisition and early development costs with money being repaid on completion of the project.

Mr Shapps said: "The self-build industry is riding the crest of a wave, with more people than ever wanting control over the design and build of their home. But despite this self-build surge, we continue to lag behind the rest of the world. I am determined to change this so anyone who wants to embark on a self-build project has the opportunity to do so.

"That's why I am delighted Kevin McCloud has agreed to represent the industry - championing the cause of existing and aspiring self-builders across the country, and raising the issues and concerns that matter most to them.

"Together we will travel with a UK trade delegation to the Netherlands to learn from the leaders in low-cost self-build, and to boost trade links between British and Dutch businesses. Self-build is good news for the economy - so I'm writing to lenders and encouraging them to use their own industry's toolkit to see how they can lend to those who want to build their own homes and expand into this growing market."

(CD/GK)