Inside the UK’s Largest Self Build Development

What is Graven Hill?

Graven Hill, situated in Bicester in Oxfordshire, is the UK’s largest self build site, offering up to 1,900 custom homes. It’s only 14 minutes from Oxford and is served by two train stations and the M40, M4 and M1. 

The goal is to make it easier for people to self build and to create a community of like-minded people who want to achieve their dream bespoke home amid beautiful surroundings. We have plenty of green spaces and community facilities.

In 2021 a primary school will be opening and there will also be a village pub, supermarket, community centre and a coffee shop. Some small office and retail units will be available within the local centre as well.

The land is a former Ministry of Defence site and they’re releasing it to us over two phases. We’re currently in phase one and we will get the rest of the land this summer, ready to build on from 2020 onwards.

The idea is that by delivering the land in stages, it allows people to build their homes roughly at the same time while ensuring the relevant infrastructure is in at the right points during the process.

What are the benefits of building on Graven Hill?

Most people interested in creating a home from scratch need to find land, then negotiate their way through the planning and financing processes. We consider those barriers to self build, so at Graven Hill, we provide you with serviced plots – where all utilities are delivered to the site boundary – and fast-track planning consent.

We’ll then prepare Golden Brick foundations to your design and give you a warranty, taking away any risk in relation to issues in the ground.

There are a range of sites suitable for properties from three to six bedrooms, with house sizes from 80m² to all the way up to 465m². We have an overall design code and, depending on where your plot is located, there are varying levels of design freedom.

There are lots of options within the materials palette and as long as your design drawings meet the requirements set out in your site’s Plot Passport, you will receive planning consent within 28 days.

We’re trying to make self build a real possibility for everyone; from first time buyers to those who are downsizing. We’re also ensuring there’s different types of finance available by working with BuildStore and some of the other mortgage brokers, too.

The project started a few years ago, so what’s been going on at Graven Hill recently?

There’s been lots happening over the last year! The site’s busy being developed and by March we had 85 households living here.

People have moved into some of the custom homes, the affordable units and also some of the Golden Brick houses, which have all been built within a short time frame of between seven and 12 months.

Currently, there are about 40 self builders constructing properties on site. You might also be aware that the first 10 households to embark on their Graven Hill journey have been featured on a new series called Grand Designs: The Street on Channel 4, so that’s been very exciting.

Can you tell us a little more about what it was like to be featured on Grand Designs: The Street?

The idea of the programme is to really showcase that self build is for everyone. Hopefully, it’s shown that all demographics can construct their own tailor-made home, demonstrating the benefits of buying a serviced plot, but also the challenges to be aware of.

The land prices for each of the 10 properties featured were all roughly the same and each house was built under the same Plot Passport parameters.

Of course, the budgets used to deliver the final homes were dependent on the owners’ circumstances. What you see in the final episode is a street scene of 10 very different abodes constructed by self builders to suit their specific requirements.

Do homeowners have to commit to living at Graven Hill for a certain amount of time?

If you’re self building, then yes. We didn’t want people coming in, buying all the plots, putting something up and selling them straight away.

Homeowners must commit to staying for a minimum of three years and, if they leave within this time frame, then a percentage of the money from the sale should go back to Graven Hill – although we do have discretion to consider exceptional circumstances.

From the designs we’re seeing, it’s clear people have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into their drawings and the project itself. Those who’ve undertaken a self build tend to stay in the property for far longer than those who buy a house on a traditional development.

How are you helping to encourage a community feel?

Because of the nature of the development, the community started to form quite early on. Several social media groups have been set up to encourage people to meet their neighbours, even if they’re not living on site yet.

Also, once people do start building, you begin to see that community coming together; people asking others if they can borrow a hammer or help hold up posts, for example.

There’s also a number of social events we’ve been helping to facilitate where Golden Brick customers can get together.

We’ve got our first community day on Saturday 18th May, where everybody who’s bought a house or some land at Graven Hill can meet each other. There’s also a lot of green space, with nature walks, parks and outdoor areas that should encourage people to spend time outside.

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