Conquering Modern Design, Planning, and Urban Challenges with Esther Kurland Part 2
Inside Property DevelopmentShow Notes
In this episode, Paul once again sits down to talk with veteran planner Esther Kurland, the director of UDL, who has extensive experience including roles at London Transport, the GLA, and several other local authorities. Esther and Paul once again look at the challenges property developers are currently facing and how these issues can be overcome.
They discuss the use of the grey belt and why, at some stage, the green belt restrictions will need to change, how design codes work in reality and more. Esther also provides an overview of how Design Review Panels now work.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
It is very easy for a council that is pro-development to evolve into one that is hard to work with.
The grey belt change may be trickier to take advantage of than many developers realise.
It is not easy to determine what land is grey belt and what is not.
There is a lot of wooliness in planning requirements which is holding development back.
Design codes can be a good tool for addressing the most pressing design
requirements. These are things that have been consistently asked for.
Codes should be there to stop the worst from happening.
Creating developments that have the ability to change ensures that they last well.
You don´t have to add many requirements to get away from the Tetris-type homes – e.g., changing the way parking is handled.
BEST MOMENTS
“I personally think it's right that we review the way the Green Belt works and that we're using the land better,”
“Having guidance is definitely useful, but having really overly fixed codes or local authorities that try to impose them too strictly, I think is potentially really dangerous .”
“Design review helps identify any problems early on that could lead to delay or disappointment later on.”
“Don't pay for design review if it's not meeting this code of conduct.”
“Planners do tend to copy what has been done before.”
EPISODE RESOURCES
https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-kurland-33017115
https://www.urbandesignlearning.com
Previous episode with Esther Kurland - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/inside- property-development-5761561/episodes/conquering-modern-design-plann-258095104
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/
More from Inside Property Development
In this episode, Paul once again sits down with David Birbeck, one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to planning and development. Together, they discuss the government´s new draft Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) and how it should work in practice.
In this episode, Paul sits down with Lucas, a recent Bristol civil engineering graduate, who is considering becoming a property developer. Together, they discuss why everything in development starts with finding and controlling land, how planning policy has evolved to make that both harder and more crucial, and why today’s planning environment might actually be one of the best times to get into development despite a tough sales market.
In this episode Paul is joined by Steve Morris the co-founder and Managing Director of Linfield Construction, to discuss the viability of building a property development business later in life – especially if you come from a contracting and commercial background rather than following the more typical pure developer route.
Today, Paul sits down with former Wandsworth councillor and Pocket Living land director and the Managing Director and founder of Urban Sketch Nick Cuff. Drawing on his rare mix of political and development experience, Nick explains what a genuinely pro‑development culture looks like, and why most UK councils are not pro-development.
How can architects and developers work together to deliver projects that are financially viable, genuinely regenerative – create schemes like this that actually get built as planned?