British property guru Kevin McCloud and Housing Minister Mark Prisk have formerly launched the first ever National Self Build Week which aims to help millions of people turn their self build dreams into a reality.

Grand Designs Live, the award winning home build and design show at the London Excel centre will be a central hub of activity for the event which will also see things taking place all around the country.

An Ipsos MORI poll recently showed that around six million people in Briton are currently planning or researching how to build a home for themselves and want to start their new home in the next year or so. A further one million people have already moved from the researching to the action stage, and are currently in the process of acquiring a building plot, obtaining planning permission or expect to start construction in the next 12 months.

Despite all this interest, in 2012 only around 12,000 Britons managed to build a home this way. And the UK’s self build output is a fraction of that delivered by most European countries. This mismatch between desire to build a home and the actual output clearly highlights the need for a dedicated National Self Build Week, according to McCloud.

Housing Minister Mark Prisk and Ted Stevens from the National Self Build Association joined McCloud to formerly launch National Self Build Week and to debate the future of self build in the UK.

Prisk unveiled a number of initiatives to help grow the UK self build sector. These include a new Need a Plot feature on the Self Build Portal, and the launch of a guide aimed at local authorities, regeneration agencies and housing associations.

‘One of the main barriers self-builders have faced in the past has been to find a suitable plot on which to build their dream home. We've been determined to tackle this, ensuring through our planning reforms that councils must consider the needs of those looking to self build when drawing up their local plans for development,’ said Prisk.

‘So I'm delighted that the Self Build Portal will now include a Plot Wanted feature, so aspiring self builders can put their call out to landowners and agents and find the site that's right for them,’ he explained.

During this week there will be a further series of high level debates and other events at Grand Designs Live featuring Planning Minister Nick Boles, alongside TV presenters McCloud and George Clarke. Regionally there are also events taking place across the UK from open days, to seminars and various firms offering special discounts.

‘These projects will transform the UK self build sector and provide a real showcase for the many innovative ways more self or custom built homes can be delivered. The pioneering councils and developers that are involved are to be applauded for their vision and enterprise,’ said Ted Stevens, chairman of the National Self Build Association (NaSBA).

National Self Build Week is a new campaign being run by NaSBA and the organisers of the Grand Designs Live exhibition, which takes place at Excel during the week. It is supported by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and many of the companies active in the self build sector.