Inside Property Development

Watch the full episode here.

In this episode, Paul answers people´s property design questions. He reveals the biggest trends in housing design, how and why property design is changing, and the impact technology is having. During the episode, he covers some of the pros and cons of building with modular components and the influence recent legislation changes are having. Paul talks about why smaller developers really have the edge over the mass housing builders.

He also talks about his Building With Nature experience, focusing on how it has impacted the way he designs his developments. Within this, he shares sharing how to balance creativity with functionality. 

Sponsored by LandTech:

Source faster. Plan faster. Work faster. LandTech provides software to streamline the property development process and get the right deals done.

Claim your free trial of LandInsight: https://land.tech/ipd-free-trial 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• How buildability plays a role within property design, for example, whether it is sustainable, easy to construct and cost-effective to build that way.
• The push for sustainability is having a growing impact on modern property design.
• How building in a way that connects people with nature is a win-win.
• You need to start with functionality. If the property does not work for people, they won´t buy it.
• Creativity comes second to functionality and getting too creative can easily lead to going hugely over budget.
• Aim to build better but do it in a way that still looks good.

BEST MOMENTS

“Smaller developers have a massive opportunity to push the envelope and create much better, bespoke, well-designed stuff.”

“The technology around building quickly, efficiently, economically and in a high-performing, sustainable way will impact design.”

“The best architects would actually quite like to be developers because that's how they get their stuff created.” 

ABOUT THE HOST 

Paul Higgs is a Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor with 40+ years' experience in land, planning and development and a 100% success track record in winning planning consents.

Paul undertook his first refurb project when he was just 17 and then worked his way up from labouring on building sites to becoming Head of Land for renowned plc housebuilder, Barratt Developments. He managed to escape the corporate world in 2002 to set up what is now a multimillion-pound award-winning property development company, Millbank Group. 

In 2013 Paul founded the Millbank Land Academy, the UK’s first training company dedicated to property development; to teach established and aspiring developers the insider secrets the big housebuilders don’t want you to know! 

Paul is also a founding investor and former board director of the industry-leading PropTech Co, LandTech, and has lectured on Advanced Development Valuations on the MSc Property Development at London South Bank University.

CONTACT METHOD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-higgs

Millbank Land Academy: https://www.millbanklandacademy.co.uk

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/paulhiggsofficial

Watch the full episode on YouTube here

Sponsored by LandTech:

Source faster. Plan faster. Work faster. LandTech provides software to streamline the property development process and get the right deals done.

Claim your free trial of LandInsight: https://land.tech/ipd-free-trial 

Paul is joined by Andrew Black, from land buying to planning, Andrew shares his journey through the ups and downs of the property market. He talks about the challenges faced by developers, the intricacies of the planning system, and the importance of SMEs in the industry. He also discusses green belt land and the many problems planners have faced due to government mismanagement of planning laws and regulations. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Experience in both land buying and planning is crucial for success in property development, as understanding the technical aspects and being able to negotiate deals are essential.
• SME developers play a vital role in the industry, offering unique approaches and flexibility that larger developers often lack, but face significant challenges in competing and surviving.
• The planning system in the UK is under resourced and often inefficient, with frequent policy changes and a lack of understanding between government, local authorities, and developers.
• Green Belt development is a contentious issue, but not all Green Belt land is pristine countryside, and well designed developments can often actually improve previously developed Green Belt sites.
• Infrastructure provision is often disconnected from housing development, leading to public resistance and a need for better integration of development and community facilities.
• The government's approach to planning and housing has been inconsistent and often ineffective, with multiple policy changes and a failure to implement recommendations from industry reviews.

BEST MOMENTS

"It's not an easy game. It's really not, which is why so many SME developers have disappeared and they're disappearing all the time."

"The Green Belt, if you just think about the Green Belt as an entity, it's got the best spin doctors, PR spin doctors that have ever been, hasn't it?"

"I think it's more entrance into the market going to help that SMEs doing stuff differently. Seeing SMEs evolve, become bigger builders. I think that's all helpful."

"There are some really talented planners out there. If you're a local authority planner, imagine you've got a hundred cases on, ten of them are nice developments, right? Ninety of them are clearing conditions."

"This is the worst government for planning and housing I've ever seen in my 40th year now. I mean, they've just literally been off the scale diabolical."

ABOUT THE HOST 

Paul Higgs is a Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor with 40+ years' experience in land, planning and development and a 100% success track-record in winning planning consents.

Paul undertook his first refurb project when he was just 17 and then worked his way up from labouring on building sites to becoming Head of Land for renowned plc housebuilder, Barratt Developments. He managed to escape the corporate world in 2002 to set up what is now a multimillion-pound award-winning property development company, Millbank Group.  

In 2013 Paul founded the Millbank Land Academy, the UK’s first training company dedicated to property development, to teach established and aspiring developers the insider secrets the big housebuilders don’t want you to know! 

Paul is also a founding investor and former board director of the industry-leading PropTech Co, LandTech, and has lectured on Advanced Development Valuations on the MSc Property Development at London South Bank University.

CONTACT METHOD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-higgs/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F&originalSubdomain=uk

Millbank Land Academy: https://www.millbanklandacademy.co.uk

Watch the full episode on YouTube here

In this episode, Paul answers questions on property development planning. From easier ways to get planning approved to why collaboration is key in planning development, Paul shares his thoughts and knowledge to help guide listeners in difficult planning situations.

Sponsored by LandTech

Source faster. Plan faster. Work faster. LandTech provides software to streamline the property development process and get the right deals done.

Claim your free trial of LandInsight: https://land.tech/ipd-free-trial 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• To improve things for everyone in property development, we need to start working more collaboratively with local authority planning departments
• Tension often builds between developers and councils because of the time and money pressures both must contend with.
• Ensure you know all of the planning policies and related regulations, you can then reverse engineer what needs to be designed to meet the rules.
• It pays to be as prepared as possible for any question at the planning stage, to prevent issues further down the line in the planning process.
• Balancing conflicting policies and knowing what weight to apply to each area is a learned skill specific to the developer and the area they are working in.
• You can make decisions based on research and analysis, having a good team and experience helps but there is still always a risk due to the amount of unknowns in planning.

BEST MOMENTS

“Local authorities are under massive pressure themselves are severely under-resourced”

“We need the very best professional teams”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

ABOUT THE HOST 

Paul Higgs is a Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor with 40+ years' experience in land, planning and development and a 100% success track-record in winning planning consents.

Paul undertook his first refurb project when he was just 17 and then worked his way up from labouring on building sites to becoming Head of Land for renowned plc housebuilder, Barratt Developments. He managed to escape the corporate world in 2002 to set up what is now a multimillion-pound award-winning property development company, Millbank Group.  

In 2013 Paul founded the Millbank Land Academy, the UK’s first training company dedicated to property development, to teach established and aspiring developers the insider secrets the big housebuilders don’t want you to know! 

Paul is also a founding investor and former board director of the industry-leading PropTech Co, LandTech, and has lectured on Advanced Development Valuations on the MSc Property Development at London South Bank University.

CONTACT METHOD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-higgs/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F&originalSubdomain=uk

Millbank Land Academy: https://www.millbanklandacademy.co.uk

Listen to the full episode on YouTube here

Paul is joined by Jonny Britton, CEO of Landtech, to explore the challenges and innovations in the property development industry. From the origins of Landtech to the future of AI in property tech, this episode explores the evolving landscape of land acquisition, planning, and development. Discover how technology is reshaping the industry and why collaboration might be the key to solving the housing crisis.

Sponsored by LandTech: Source faster. Plan faster. Work faster. LandTech provides software to streamline the property development process and get the right deals done.

Claim your free trial of LandInsight: https://land.tech/ipd-free-trial 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• LandTech's journey began with a desire to make land information more accessible, evolving from a self-build focus to a comprehensive tool for developers of all sizes.
• The planning system's inefficiencies and political nature often hinder development, highlighting the need for more stable, long-term housing policies.
• Permitted Development rights, while offering some benefits, can lead to low quality housing solutions and don't always create the best living environments.
• The misconception about greenbelt land and the challenges of brownfield development prove that we need to develop better public understanding of the development process.
• Financial viability is a crucial factor in development that is often misunderstood, with many failing to grasp the risks and challenges that developers face.
• LandTech is expanding its services to include development appraisal tools and funding assistance, aiming to streamline the entire development process.
• The integration of AI and large language models in property tech could revolutionise how data is interpreted and used in the development industry.
• Collaboration between developers, local communities, and policymakers is essential for creating better housing solutions and addressing the housing crisis effectively.

BEST MOMENTS

"The opaque nature of land and planning, you know has kind of led to it being so cut throat and I think that hasn't helped developers at all because the worst stories are the ones that get out there."

"Personally, I don't like a lot of it. I think very often you end up just polishing turds, making it easier to just convert old buildings that might not be that attractive."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnybritton

ABOUT THE HOST 

Paul Higgs is a Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor with 40+ years' experience in land, planning and development and a 100% success track-record in winning planning consents.

Paul undertook his first refurb project when he was just 17 and then worked his way up from labouring on building sites to becoming Head of Land for renowned plc housebuilder, Barratt Developments. He managed to escape the corporate world in 2002 to set up what is now a multimillion-pound award-winning property development company, Millbank Group.  

In 2013 Paul founded the Millbank Land Academy, the UK’s first training company dedicated to property development, to teach established and aspiring developers the insider secrets the big housebuilders don’t want you to know! 

Paul is also a founding investor and former board director of the industry-leading PropTech Co, LandTech, and has lectured on Advanced Development Valuations on the MSc Property Development at London South Bank University.

CONTACT METHOD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-higgs/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F&originalSubdomain=uk

Millbank Land Academy: https://www.millbanklandacademy.co.uk

Listen to the full episode on YouTube here

Paul discusses the major hurdles facing house building developers today. From land scarcity to planning complexities, labour shortages to rising costs, Paul paints a vivid picture of an industry under pressure. But it's not all doom and gloom – he also touches on sustainable development practices and the potential for collaboration to create better homes and communities.

Sponsored by LandTech: Source faster. Plan faster. Work faster. LandTech provides software to streamline the property development process and get the right deals done.

Claim your free trial of LandInsight: https://land.tech/ipd-free-trial 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Land availability and planning issues are the two biggest barriers to growth for developers, accounting for about 40% each of reported problems.
• The planning system has become increasingly complex and under-resourced, leading to significant delays and hindering housing development.
• Labour shortages due to inadequate training and apprenticeships have made construction more challenging in recent years.
• Rising costs of materials and procurement issues have impacted the viability of many development projects.
• New environmental standards and regulations, while necessary, add further cost and complexity to the development process.
• Sustainable development and building with nature are becoming increasingly important in the industry.
• Collaboration between various stakeholders is crucial for creating better homes and communities.
• The podcast aims to bring together experts from across the industry to discuss solutions for creating much-needed housing in the right way.

BEST MOMENTS

"Land and planning are the problems and they always have been. Now, if you've got the right land and the right planning, any finance challenges tends to go away."

"Planning in particular is now worse in my opinion than it's ever been, certainly in my 40 years in the business, so the complexity of it is off the scale."

"Building stuff didn't use to be as difficult, actually. If you were a good builder and you knew what you were doing then building was the easy bit, to a large extent. Now, even that's not so easy."

"I'm now very much into super sustainable development and building with nature so I've been applying all of this for the last few years to all of my developments."

"We'll learn together how we can collaborate rather than fight and by working together we can all help create better places, spaces and homes and a much more beautiful world."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

ABOUT THE HOST 

Paul Higgs is a Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor with 40+ years' experience in land, planning and development and a 100% success track-record in winning planning consents.

Paul undertook his first refurb project when he was just 17 and then worked his way up from labouring on building sites to becoming Head of Land for renowned plc housebuilder, Barratt Developments. He managed to escape the corporate world in 2002 to set up what is now a multi-million pound award-winning property development company, Millbank Group.  

In 2013 Paul founded the Millbank Land Academy, the UK’s first training company dedicated to property development, to teach established and aspiring developers the insider secrets the big housebuilders don’t want you to know! 

Paul is also a founding investor and former board director of the industry-leading PropTech Co, LandTech, and has lectured on Advanced Development Valuations on the MSc Property Development at London South Bank University.

CONTACT METHOD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-higgs/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F&originalSubdomain=uk

Millbank Land Academy: https://www.millbanklandacademy.co.uk

Listen to the full episode on YouTube here

In this episode, Paul talks about his remarkable career in property development. From his humble beginnings as a construction site labourer to becoming a successful developer, Paul shares his valuable experience, revealing the challenges facing the industry, the importance of sustainable development, and why Paul considers himself a "hippie property developer."

Sponsored by LandTech: Source faster. Plan faster. Work faster. LandTech provides software to streamline the property development process and get the right deals done.

Claim your free trial of LandInsight: https://land.tech/ipd-free-trial 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Paul's early struggles with ADD and adoption shaped his drive and work ethic, ultimately contributing to his success in property development.
• The importance of understanding land and planning is crucial for successful property development, more so than just construction knowledge.
• Option agreements can be a powerful tool for developers to control land without significant upfront capital, allowing for bigger deals.
• The 2008 financial crisis nearly wiped out Paul's business, highlighting the importance of careful financial management and choosing the right lending partners.
• Property development has become increasingly difficult over the years, with the number of SME house builders drastically declining since 1988.
• Sustainable development and working with nature are important, but financial viability must also be considered to incentivise developers.
• The role of a property developer is like a conductor of an orchestra, overseeing various aspects and experts to create successful projects.
• Building relationships and working with the right people is crucial in property development, as it's challenging to do everything alone.

BEST MOMENTS

"I eventually came to realise you need to know a lot more than just about construction in order to be a property developer. In fact, I came to realise that what it's really all about is land and planning."

"I'm a bit of a weird one because I'm a sort of hippie property developer, but I'm living in the real world so I know what it takes to get deals done."

"Most developers actually go bust, certainly the smaller ones. People don't really know about that. They just see the success stories and think we're all flying around in helicopters, making fortunes. It's not like that for most of us."

"We're basically the conductor of the orchestra, so we need to see the bigger picture and how everything fits together. We're the ones that take the big risks, the ones that have to put our wotsits on the line."

"The problem is, you know, when you build cheap, you build shit, you create shit, the whole environment goes to shit, people start acting like shit, and everything goes to f*cking shit."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

ABOUT THE HOST 

Paul Higgs is a Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor with 40+ years' experience in land, planning and development and a 100% success track-record in winning planning consents.

Paul undertook his first refurb project when he was just 17 and then worked his way up from labouring on building sites to becoming Head of Land for renowned plc housebuilder, Barratt Developments. He managed to escape the corporate world in 2002 to set up what is now a multimillion-pound award-winning property development company, Millbank Group.  

In 2013 Paul founded the Millbank Land Academy, the UK’s first training company dedicated to property development, to teach established and aspiring developers the insider secrets the big housebuilders don’t want you to know! 

Paul is also a founding investor and former board director of the industry-leading PropTech Co, LandTech, and has lectured on Advanced Development Valuations on the MSc Property Development at London South Bank University.

CONTACT METHOD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-higgs/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F&originalSubdomain=uk

Millbank Land Academy: https://www.millbanklandacademy.co.uk

Watch the full episode on YouTube here

Join Paul Higgs, an experienced property developer with 40 years of experience, as he launches the "Inside Property Development" podcast. This first episode sets the stage for an insightful journey into the complexities of the housing market and property development. Paul aims to bridge gaps, foster collaboration, and unravel the challenges facing the industry. With a focus on supporting SME developers, this podcast promises to be an essential resource for anyone interested in creating better homes and spaces!

Sponsored by LandTech: Source faster. Plan faster. Work faster. LandTech provides software to streamline the property development process and get the right deals done.

Claim your free trial of LandInsight: https://land.tech/ipd-free-trial 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The housing market faces significant challenges, including affordability issues and a complex planning system.
• Collaboration between all stakeholders in property development is crucial for solving industry problems.
• SME developers and smaller house builders are declining due to the increasing complexity of the planning system.
• Paul aims to provide insights from various industry professionals to improve understanding and cooperation.
• Paul emphasises the need to support and train SME developers to navigate the current challenging environment.
• The show will explore ways to create good quality, sustainable housing in the right locations.
• Understanding different perspectives within the industry is key to overcoming confrontational attitudes.
  
  

BEST MOMENTS

"I'm really interested in helping get the housing crisis solved. The way to do that, I believe, is to get inside, behind and all around property development to understand how it really works and therefore what the problems are and how we can all solve them together."

"There shouldn't actually be any sides in this. I believe we should all be working together in order to help get good housing and commercial space as well and places and spaces created."

"Just being a good builder was no longer and still is no longer good enough. You also now have to be an absolute expert on planning and getting through all of the Red tape and complications that you have to deal with nowadays."

"We'll learn together how we can collaborate rather than fight and by working together we can all help create better places, spaces and homes and a much more beautiful world."

"I'm going to be talking to developers of all sizes and all of the other people involved in the process."

ABOUT THE HOST 

Paul Higgs is a Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor with 40+ years' experience in land, planning and development and a 100% success track-record in winning planning consents.

Paul undertook his first refurb project when he was just 17 and then worked his way up from labouring on building sites to becoming Head of Land for renowned plc housebuilder, Barratt Developments. He managed to escape the corporate world in 2002 to set up what is now a multimillion-pound award-winning property development company, Millbank Group.  

In 2013 Paul founded the Millbank Land Academy, the UK’s first training company dedicated to property development, to teach established and aspiring developers the insider secrets the big housebuilders don’t want you to know! 

Paul is also a founding investor and former board director of the industry-leading PropTech Co, LandTech, and has lectured on Advanced Development Valuations on the MSc Property Development at London South Bank University.

CONTACT METHOD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-higgs/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Egoogle%2Ecom%2F&originalSubdomain=uk 

Millbank Land Academy: https://www.millbanklandacademy.co.uk