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As part of our Mapping the FutuRE campaign we've launched this podcast series to discuss what has been blocking house building and our wish list for the new Housing Minister....
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As part of our Mapping the FutuRE campaign we've launched this podcast series to discuss what has been blocking house building and our wish list for the new Housing Minister. We will gain insights from guests including promoters, planners, land agents, housebuilders and developers.
show less
Episodes & Posts
Episodes
Posts
11 DEC 2024 · In episode eight, Alexandra Murphy, a principal associate in our real estate team, is joined by Dan Curtis, vice president - development investment at Telford Living.
What’s been blocking housebuilding to date? Dan shares his thoughts:
- Investor sentiment has been low since the Budget at the end of 2022, impacting new housing.
- Inflation also makes it harder to deliver what’s needed.
- The regulatory regime after Grenfell has left an unclear position.
- The international supply chain, such as Ukraine and the Middle East, has affected how businesses can deliver to time and budget.
Dan’s wishes to the Government would be to have:
- A resilient supply chain.
- Properly resourced regulatory bodies and planning departments.
- Tax breaks, especially for green homes.
- More consistent grants nationwide, this will help to unlock unviable land.
- Take the politics out of planning!
20 NOV 2024 · In episode seven, Andy King, a real estate finance lawyer at Mills & Reeve, speaks to Dale Cowdell and Mike Tierney, directors at OakNorth Bank, who provide debt finance to housebuilders.
Dale and Mike share their views on:
- Blockers, including how social housing providers are finding that stretched budgets (due to remedial works required post-Grenfell) are diverting funds away from building new housing, and how Right to Buy has reduced their stock, while waiting lists keep growing.
- The economic changes they’d like to see to stimulate housebuilding. This includes reduction in the Bank of England base rate to reduce the cost of borrowing, tax breaks for housebuilders with a strong track record in delivering new homes, and the expansion of the Housing Group Partnership for good reliable housebuilders, potentially looking to guaranteeing their loan/equity.
- The changes they’d like to make to the permitted development regime, such as a more positive attitude from planning committees.
4 NOV 2024 · In episode six, Victoria Hughes-Barker, professional support lawyer in the real estate team, speaks to Marcus Hodges, chief operating officer at Birchgrove, about senior living as a solution to the housing crisis.
With 2/3 of over 65’s having 2 empty bedrooms on average, Marcus discusses whether improving availability of and access to senior living options could free up existing homes to the market – benefiting the environment – and assisting with the housing crisis.
Marcus’s key points for the new housing minister:
- Normalise senior living as a supportive, stress-free option for over-65s, similar to the US and New Zealand.
- Address regulatory burdens to allow more focus on resident care and provide certainty to ensure timely, budget-friendly development.Give senior living a voice and increase recognition and understanding of senior living’s community benefits – they aren’t care homes!
22 OCT 2024 · In episode five, Graham Collier, development lawyer at Mills & Reeve, speaks to Paul Smith, managing director at Strategic Land Group.
Speaking from the point of view of a promoter, Paul considers how the broader planning system and processes involved with it (including the adoption of local plans) have reduced the number of housing developments being brought forward – and where the current proposals leave us.
While the plans are a definite positive step forward, there are a number of areas where further information will be necessary in order to understand exactly how they will work, and whether they go far enough, with Paul’s wish list including:
- Detail around transitional arrangements for moving to the new proposed housing target calculations.
- More information on Brownfield Passports – which could help to unlock planning on sites where certain criteria are met.
- Proposals which ensure landowners are sufficiently incentivised when benchmarking land values, so they don’t stop bringing land forward.
- The planning system being fine-tuned and streamlined, removing unnecessary barriers for bringing proposals forward (for example with outline planning), and taking the burden off local authority planning departments.
- Plans for reinvigorating the local plan system, so that they’re adopted more quickly – and pushing on with national development management policies.
8 OCT 2024 · In episode four, Caroline Hanratty, Development Partner at Mills & Reeve, speaks to Lord Matthew Taylor, who is best known for having authored the Living Working Countryside Review in 2008, which led to the NPPF and to neighbourhood planning.
He was later asked to lead the creation of the NPPG and originated the Garden Communities programme. Hear Matthew’s views on:
- The origins of our current housing crisis.
- The positive steps from the new Government (including the reversal of nimbyism policies).
- The bold changes he’d like to see in terms of county level strategic plans, garden villages and making it easier to acquire land at low cost.
24 SEP 2024 · In episode three, Melissa McDonald, development lawyer at Mills & Reeve, speaks to Paul Mumford, project director at Urban&Civic, and Mike Jenner, development manager at Urban&Civic.
Hear Urban&Civic’s thoughts around whether there is a national housing crisis or is it simply in the South East. The team also discuss the strength of the UK planning system, how an alignment between master developers and the planning system could be the key to delivery and whether New Towns are the possible solution.
Whilst there was a lot of positivity, the team discuss a few things they believe are blocking house building:
- Political nervousness around local plans
- Not enough buy-in early on in the planning process
- Lack of large scale sites
9 SEP 2024 · In episode two, Caroline Hanratty, Mills & Reeve's development partner, speaks to Helen Randerson, partnerships director at Gleeson Homes, and Kirsty O’Donnell, director in the development team at Savills.
They discuss some of the positive messages coming from the new Government including changes to the NPPF, the new grey belt, ambitions for local plans and Skills England but agreed that there are still a number of areas which need addressing, including: early engagement and better collaboration with RPs to ensure house builders are delivering what RPs want, a solution to the problems with nutrient neutrality, streamlining the planning process/more flexibility for planners and skills shortages.
Please find a copy of the recent Savills paper referred to in the podcast in https://pdf.euro.savills.co.uk/uk/residential---other/the-challenges-of-unlocking-section-106-delivery---july-2024..pdf.
23 AUG 2024 · In our first episode, Caroline Hanratty, development partner at Mills & Reeve, speaks to Anna Relph, planning director at Turley, and Joanna Allen, land & partnerships director at Northstone and operations director at Letta.
The team discuss the need to enforce local plan preparation, give planning officers more delegated powers, provide “true” affordable housing, and reflect the changes to the housing market by providing a diverse range of accommodation, including Build To Rent (BTR).
As part of our Mapping the FutuRE campaign we've launched this podcast series to discuss what has been blocking house building and our wish list for the new Housing Minister....
show more
As part of our Mapping the FutuRE campaign we've launched this podcast series to discuss what has been blocking house building and our wish list for the new Housing Minister. We will gain insights from guests including promoters, planners, land agents, housebuilders and developers.
show less
Information
| Author | Mills & Reeve |
| Organization | Mills & Reeve |
| Categories | Business |
| Website | - |
| kris.arpon@mills-reeve.com |
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