Sir – It is good to see Cherwell District Council react to the support in the National Planning Policy Framework for self-building by allocating space in the large development planned for the edge of Bicester.

The ambition to have 1,000 plots might even be achievable if the council also took up the idea of the think tank Policy Exchange and kept a register of those interested in self-building — including on a group basis, for which there is £30m Government fund available; maybe it has?

In fact all planning authorities should keep a register of potential self-builders together with their local qualifications (if any) and skills (if any) to get this important sector moving.

Another sector not currently being adequately catered for by the planning system is co-housing, and I would suggest that people walk into council offices in any area of interest to them and request that such registers of interests be kept (if necessary starting with theirs) so that the policy in the NPPF that the planning system should deliver choice in housing is made meaningful. Such registers would justify policies enabling self-building and co-housing in local plans and neighbourhood plans.

Incidentally, the University’s site at Wolvercote for 190 dwellings would also be suitable for both self-building and co-housing and perhaps the council and the applicants could get together to ensure that this is an exemplary development in terms of the type of housing provided and, particularly, its sustainability. Recent developments at Port Meadow and Jericho might suggest to the University that it should be doing all it can to set the best possible example.

Daniel Scharf, Drayton, nr Abingdon