In this episode, Paul once again sits down to speak to Lewis Herbert to talk about the really important issues of homelessness and the housing crisis. As well as discussing how we got here, they look at some of the potential solutions, including the use of modular housing.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• In the UK, 134,000 people aged 16 to 25 are homeless or at risk.
• There are 150,000 rough sleepers.
• Homeless people need somewhere secure to live, it does not have to be big.
• The fact that these homes are genuinely temporary means they can be compact.
• Compact homes can be built and connected to utilities for £100,000 and projects can be delivered in a year.
• Cardiff already has enough two-storey modular homes to house 300 families.
• Lewis shares several other examples across the UK.
• Travelodge´s are expensive, so modular homes don´t take long to pay for
  themselves.
  

The Property Development Scorecard

https://millbanklandacademy.scoreapp.com

BEST MOMENTS
“I´ve got a passion for affordable housing.”
“I’m a fan of modern methods of construction.”
“If we’re going to get people out of hotel rooms, if we’re going to get people off the streets, compact is the way we’ve got to go.”
“It´s a very happy community on what was a car park.”

EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewis-herbert-84378110

Allia Future Homes - https://futurebusinesscentre.co.uk/our-impact/future-homes
Cardiff – https://businessnewswales.com/residents-welcome-temporary-homes-in-modular-
housing-scheme/
Motels to homes - https://chesshomeless.org
https://www.zedpods.com
https://www.social-bite.co.uk
https://www.fusearchitects.co.uk

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

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

In this episode, Paul is joined by Leanne Tritton, the founder, former MD and EOT Trustee of ING Media, a team of strategic communications specialists for the built world. They think differently and invest energy and creativity into transforming the way people see buildings, cities and infrastructure.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The building sector is very tribal, very siloed, which is counterproductive.
• The smartest operators understand getting a project over the line takes many hands and are able to engage with all the groups involved.
• When things go wrong, the natural thing is to add a layer to stop it happening again, usually in the form of legislation.
• Now, we have so many layers the only ones who can break through it all and deliver a project has to have deep pockets.
• Property companies are becoming a bit anonymous and too technocratic.
  Shareholders interests are aligned with producing a great product.
• Margins are not so tight, that you can´t build quality homes.
• There are 600,000 unused buildings in the UK that are suitable for housing. If
  developed they bring homes into existing communities.

BEST MOMENTS
“Our sector is very tribal.”
“There´s not been a lot of understanding about how it all fits together.”
“We've pushed so many people out of the market because it's too hard.”
“Some people in positions of leadership in the built environment are too far removed from the end product.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://www.dontwastebuildings.com

https://2025.ukreiif.com/

Jon Stewart and Ezra Klein – Abundance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcZxaFfxloo

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
This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Today, Paul sits down with Alexa Culver, a lawyer who specialises in the field of
environmental development, planning and natural capital. She is legal counsel for RSK
Wilding - a DEFRA designated body under the Environment Act, which creates large scale nature restoration schemes that support developers to replace habitats.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill Part III is flawed. Paul and Alexa discuss how
  things got so out of hand and the solution.
• Not having any evidential requirement for an EDP to come into effect is highly
  problematic.
• If there is no mitigation hierarchy the pace at which nature declines speeds up.
• A 28-day window of consultation for an EDP is ridiculously short.
• We know from past experience that the way forward is for all involved parties to work together e.g. Newts are protected, but the way it is done has been greatly
  streamlined.
• The very existence of the bill, even in its draft form, has created uncertainty that has slowed down development.

BEST MOMENTS
“It´s such a blunt instrument and it doesn’t work.”
“It can’t be an objective environmental watchdog while relying on levies from developers.”
“Here we will be accelerating the harm.”
“Our ecosystems and local people´s environment is being sacrificed protect the profits of overseas companies.”
“It´s the absolute killer of any attempt to try to make an offsetting scheme work.”
“There´s some really wide-reaching, consequential amendment clauses in the bill.”

The Property Development Scorecard

https://millbanklandacademy.scoreapp.com

RESOURCES
Alexa´s post -https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7313892173786091520

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

For this episode, Paul and Lewis Herbert sit down to discuss the root causes of the UK current housing crisis and how the problem can be solved. For decades, Lewis has worked to tackle homelessness and the housing crisis.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• After the war, successive governments focused on housing. Millions of council
  houses and good quality private homes were built.
• The UK has not been building enough homes for about 50 years.
  The private sector has not been given the necessary levers and incentives to be able to build more.
• Planning at the county level for large-scale development would be a more effective approach.
• Many housing associations want ideal tenants, so the homeless do not qualify.
• In countries where house prices remain reasonable, rent is actually affordable.
• Even in Cambridge, where thousands of homes have been built, there is still not
  enough housing. In the 90s, the average cost of a home was 3 times a family´s income.
• In 2021, it was 9 times their household income.
• The economy is damaged because people can no longer afford to move for work.
• There are a lot of potential buyers, but very few that can afford to buy.
• Intensive development does not have to mean sub-standard or small homes.
• New techniques enable faster building.

BEST MOMENTS
“The people that suffer the most are on the bottom rung of the ladder… some are forced into temporary accommodation.”“We need many more small house builders to solve the housing crisis.”
“In 1976, the tap was turned off for social housing.”
“Land banking isn´t really a thing.”
“We have failed this generation.”

ABOUT THE GUEST
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewis-herbert-84378110
Dave Hughes episode - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyKp-0P730s

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

In this episode, Paul talks to Michael Langley, an architect turned developer, who started his career in London designing high-end buildings, extensions and basements. During COVID he decided to transition into development. He has already delivered projects and has several others in the pipeline.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• It is not the job of the architect to know everything about development. Their training does not cover all aspects of the processes used to construct a building.
• Architects that have the right experience will use what they know to inform their
  design process e.g. If they have repeatedly seen a building feature rejected at the
  planning stage they will not include it.
• Developers need to give their architect a proper brief, something that rarely happens.
• Complex designs, e.g. Roofs with funny angles look good but cost more.
  The timber frame method enables you to get watertight faster and have more trades on site earlier
• The unintended consequences of legislation changes is making it increasingly
  difficult to find viable deals, but they are still out there.
• Focus on off market deals, connect with landowners and build a pipeline of deals. Be patient, this takes time.

BEST MOMENTS
“You´ve got to factor so much more into your design process than just hitting the brief.”
“Its just as important to instruct your consultants correctly and provide your architects with a proper brief.”
“We managed to de-risk it slightly.” “They really don’t understand the impact of a lot of the s**t we have to deal with - the Section 106 agreement is a classic example.”
“We've got to make deals viable. If we can't create a certain land value the housing will not get created.”

EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-langley-mla
https://www.instagram.com/mlangleyproperty

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

In this episode, Paul is joined by Richard Stone, a chartered construction manager and cost consultant. He also trains people in project management and turns them into experienced developers which enables them to grow their wealth far quicker than they would if they worked a salaried job with a traditional pension.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Working in construction is an excellent gateway into development and building wealth quickly.
• Use the most cost-effective fast way to get the roof on.
• Every week you can shave off of construction time is worth 4k in profit.
  Being uber organised and having everything you need on site, right down to the right size cable ties massively improves efficiency and build quality.
• Pay decent rates to tradespeople who work efficiently, to a high standard and are self-managing.
• If you are doing a commercial property, strip it out before determining the final conversion cost.
• Risk is a good thing, that is where the profit is. But only if you identify it and already have a viable plan in place to mitigate it.
• For many projects, JCT contracts are helpful, e.g. to raise finance and secure clients.

BEST MOMENTS
“You can't turn up at Twickenham on a f**king polo pony … you are there to play rugby….every development is different”
“If you don't have risk, you can't have opportunity.”
“I wouldn't suggest that anybody that's new to development start by trying to deliver their own development, it will fail.”
“You need to be an octopus to spin the amount of plates you’ve got to spin.”

EPISODE RESOURCES
https://richardmstone.com
https://www.hbf.co.uk/news/hbf-report-state-play-challenges-and-opportunities-facing-sme-home-builders

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

In this episode, Paul talks about the main challenges property developers face and shares how he overcame each of them. He covers finding plots of land where the level of competition is minimal, how to quickly assess sites without spending a lot of money, securing the deal on good terms and maximising the profit. Paul also explains why you need to have your exit in mind and how to make a direct approach that maximizes your chances of a positive response from landowners.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Finding viable sites where the level of competition is minimal is key.
• You cannot afford to spend a lot of time and money assessing sites that eventually turn out not to be viable.
• Using options is usually the best way to secure your deal on the best terms.
• The existing use value is what you need to beat in order to incentivise the landowner to sell.
• Making the value pie as big as possible is vital. The bigger it is, the more likely the landowner is to sell.
• There are some great online resources that you can use to find sites.
• With the right approach and experience you will find deals that others have missed.

BEST MOMENTS
“Properly assessing a site and taking it through planning can be really slow and expensive until you figure out what to do.”
“The bigger overall value pie you create, the better.”
“So, this is me breaking down every step into a logical system and progression. So, it's easy for people to understand and remember.”
“When you’ve found opportunities, you then need to make an approach to the landowner in a very specific way.”

EPISODE RESOURCES
Options episode - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/%C2%A31-option-agreements/id1750859336?i=1000679140634

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

For this episode, Paul is joined by Henry Bliss of Give My View, the app that makes it far easier for developers to engage with communities, find and motivate potential project supporters and effectively deal with any local objections. It creates surveys that are fast and easy to complete. Ensuring all voices are heard, rather than just the NIMBY view.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Traditional consultation methods only hear from a vocal minority, usually older people with time, which drowns out the perspectives of the broader community.
• Give My View makes it really easy for anyone to have a say and can be used at any stage of project development.
• Providing feedback only takes a few minutes and is available across all devices.
  The Give My View team can help developers to ask the right questions in a format
  that encourages honest and useful answers.
• If you ask people – Do you want this here? Most will automatically say no. It´s human nature to say no to change. So, don´t ask that type of question.
  Using social media ads to ask people to take part enables you to target people in a very specific area.
• Be concise, often people will be filling out the survey in the few minutes they get
  between tasks.

BEST MOMENTS
“You are able to speak to the silent majority, so people who aren't against change, people
who aren't NIMBYs (get a voice too).”
“We can engage with 1000s of people if the project scope allows.”
“With a small marketing budget, we can bring 1000s of new eyeballs to your survey ads.”
“People have a greater connection to things they help build.”
“Once people use us, they come back because they see the benefit.”

EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.givemyview.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-bliss-969b933b

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 planningconsents.
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