In this episode, Paul is joined by Dave Hughes of Fuse Architects to talk about the role architects play in the UK housing market, including why the way many of them work is holding back progress. Dave´s focus is on delivering affordable housing. He shares the challenges the sector faces and the innovative approaches they are using to overcome them, including temporary planning permission and modular housing.

They also discuss training for planning committee members, policy changes that would speed up the planning process, housing targets and overcoming the fear that is preventing the change that is needed.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Despite being well-trained a lot of UK architects are actually not that good at coming up with practical, liveable and deliverable designs and solutions.

• Architects are just part of a team. But many see themselves as somehow especially important or more professional.

• Often planners and policymakers ask for things without thinking about the negative impact delivering them will have. They don´t take a balanced approach.

• At the moment planners and committees just think that all developers are greedy liars.

• Even when you tick every planning box and meet every regulation too many planning committees are still not giving permission.

• High land prices make many 50% affordable housing developments impossible to deliver.

• Some councils are now giving temporary planning permission for modular housing.

BEST MOMENTS

“The market at the moment is a little bit on hold. Everyone sort of seems to be just waiting.”

“We only draw what we can build. We are very strict about buildability in our business.”

“Many planners and policymakers don't realize that, by asking and trying to demand everything, they actually end up with nothing.”

“I think one of the big issues in development generally, is viability.”

“A good committee is one that says - our policy, that we've all signed up to, says that they can do this thing, and therefore we have to say yes to it.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://www.fusearchitects.co.uk

https://www.buildingwithnature.org.uk

https://boutiquemodern.co.uk

Jackie Weaver story - https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60374800

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

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@InsidePropertyDevelopment