East Riding of Yorkshire
A largely agricultural county in Yorkshire, stretching from the Yorkshire Wolds to the Holderness coast and the Humber Estuary.
Self build in East Riding of Yorkshire
The East Riding of Yorkshire is one of England's lesser-celebrated but genuinely rewarding counties for self-builders. A predominantly agricultural county stretching from the Humber Estuary in the south to the Yorkshire Wolds and the Holderness coast in the north and east, the East Riding offers a landscape of considerable character and a planning environment that, outside its coastal and heritage-sensitive areas, is relatively accommodating to well-designed residential development.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is the unitary authority for the county, maintaining the self-build register and administering planning decisions across all rural and urban areas outside Kingston upon Hull (which is a separate unitary authority). The council's self-build register records demand from individuals and associations seeking serviced plots, and the council is required by Right to Build legislation to grant sufficient planning permissions to match this demand within three years of each base period.
The Yorkshire Wolds, a distinctive chalk downland ridge rising from the Humber Plain, is one of the East Riding's most characterful landscapes. The Wolds Way National Trail traverses this landscape, connecting the Humber at Hessle to Filey Brigg on the coast. While the Yorkshire Wolds is not nationally designated as an AONB, it is recognised as a Special Landscape Area in the council's Local Plan and planning policy affords it significant protection. Self-build proposals in the Wolds must demonstrate a design approach that responds to the open, rolling character of the landscape and to the vernacular of chalk and brick buildings, pantile roofing and rendered walls that characterise Wolds villages.
The Holderness coast between Bridlington and Spurn Point is one of Europe's fastest-eroding coastlines, and coastal erosion risk is a material planning consideration for any site near the cliffline. The Environment Agency and East Riding of Yorkshire Council publish coastal erosion risk maps that self-builders should consult before purchasing any plot in this area. Properties close to the cliff edge may have limited planning lifespans and mortgage lenders may be unwilling to lend against sites in high coastal erosion risk zones.
Flood risk is the most significant planning constraint in the Humber lowlands, the Vale of York and along the river corridors of the Hull, Derwent and Aire. Significant areas of the East Riding lie within Flood Zone 2 or 3, and self-build proposals in these areas require a site-specific flood risk assessment and must pass the Sequential Test. The Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy sets out the long-term approach to flood management in the estuary corridor and is a material consideration for planning applications in affected areas.
The market town of Beverley, with its magnificent Minster and well-preserved medieval street plan, is a designated conservation area of exceptional quality. Self-build opportunities in Beverley and its surrounding villages are limited but highly sought after, and design expectations in the town are correspondingly high. The council's conservation officers are closely involved in assessing proposals in the town centre and its historic fringes.
The East Riding offers some of the most affordable agricultural land in Yorkshire, and the county's improving road and rail connections - including the A63 to Hull and Leeds, the M62 corridor and train services to York and Hull - have supported growing residential demand in its market towns and larger villages.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is the unitary authority for the county, maintaining the self-build register and administering planning decisions across all rural and urban areas outside Kingston upon Hull (which is a separate unitary authority). The council's self-build register records demand from individuals and associations seeking serviced plots, and the council is required by Right to Build legislation to grant sufficient planning permissions to match this demand within three years of each base period.
The Yorkshire Wolds, a distinctive chalk downland ridge rising from the Humber Plain, is one of the East Riding's most characterful landscapes. The Wolds Way National Trail traverses this landscape, connecting the Humber at Hessle to Filey Brigg on the coast. While the Yorkshire Wolds is not nationally designated as an AONB, it is recognised as a Special Landscape Area in the council's Local Plan and planning policy affords it significant protection. Self-build proposals in the Wolds must demonstrate a design approach that responds to the open, rolling character of the landscape and to the vernacular of chalk and brick buildings, pantile roofing and rendered walls that characterise Wolds villages.
The Holderness coast between Bridlington and Spurn Point is one of Europe's fastest-eroding coastlines, and coastal erosion risk is a material planning consideration for any site near the cliffline. The Environment Agency and East Riding of Yorkshire Council publish coastal erosion risk maps that self-builders should consult before purchasing any plot in this area. Properties close to the cliff edge may have limited planning lifespans and mortgage lenders may be unwilling to lend against sites in high coastal erosion risk zones.
Flood risk is the most significant planning constraint in the Humber lowlands, the Vale of York and along the river corridors of the Hull, Derwent and Aire. Significant areas of the East Riding lie within Flood Zone 2 or 3, and self-build proposals in these areas require a site-specific flood risk assessment and must pass the Sequential Test. The Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy sets out the long-term approach to flood management in the estuary corridor and is a material consideration for planning applications in affected areas.
The market town of Beverley, with its magnificent Minster and well-preserved medieval street plan, is a designated conservation area of exceptional quality. Self-build opportunities in Beverley and its surrounding villages are limited but highly sought after, and design expectations in the town are correspondingly high. The council's conservation officers are closely involved in assessing proposals in the town centre and its historic fringes.
The East Riding offers some of the most affordable agricultural land in Yorkshire, and the county's improving road and rail connections - including the A63 to Hull and Leeds, the M62 corridor and train services to York and Hull - have supported growing residential demand in its market towns and larger villages.
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