Grand Designs: The Street

Grand Designs: The Street has been an epic five years in the making. In this six-part series, presented by Kevin McCloud, cameras follow the first 10 pioneering households who are building a brand new street from scratch, on what will ultimately be the UK’s largest self-build project.

This ground-breaking experiment takes place in a prime location near Bicester, just 14 miles from Oxford and under an hour from London by train. The local council bought the land from the MOD, and instead of selling it to a developer for a quick profit, they have pre-approved outline planning and sold plots to the general public for around £100k each.

The average budget for each house is £250,000, and every household is hoping to build for less than it would cost them to buy in the area. With ages ranging from 24-72, budgets ranging from £160k to £500k, and pre-approved outline planning, each household has a freedom to express themselves in their choice of design and construction methods. Over the course of the series, cameras will capture these intrepid self-builders constructing their unique homes – turning a field into a self-build street.

It’s a great opportunity, but not without risk. In the process, these pioneers will suffer injury, structural disasters, and physical and financial exhaustion. The pressure of self-building will cause friendships to fail, and relationships to break down. However, those who see the projects through to completion will be rewarded with beautiful homes, tailored to their needs, on a street like no other in the UK.