In this episode, Paul talks about something most people have never heard of – The Grey Belt. He explains what it is, the part it could play in solving the UK´s current housing crisis and how property developers can take advantage of this emerging opportunity. Paul has recently developed a grey belt plot, so knows how to get planning permission for this type of land.

His recent experience provides insights into how the government is likely to loosen planning regulations so that more of the grey belt can be developed. A policy idea Labour is pursuing as a way to ease the UK´s current housing crisis.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The grey belt is essentially a part of the green belt.
• Not all green belt land is beautiful fields and forests, some parts are dumping grounds or covered in derelict buildings. These ugly abandoned areas are potentially grey belt land.
• Paul recently created a development on what was green belt land full of derelict buildings.
• The NPPF review includes finding ways to better utilise grey belt land. During the episode, Paul shares some of the development exclusions that might be taken away.
• Even if a site has been built on previously some factors are still likely to stop future development. Paul explains what some of them are.

BEST MOMENTS

“This (green belt) place was absolutely diabolical. It had lain vacant and derelict for years and years, covered in horrible old buildings.”

“There's an interesting question, around grey belt - To what extent does remoteness and things like that come into the equation?”

“Ideally close to existing settlements, ideally a bit messy, so it's not farms or fields or forests.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://www.youtube.com/@InsidePropertyDevelopment/videos

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