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Inside Property Development

Inside Property Development

By: Paul Higgs
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 Inside Property Development is a no-nonsense show that rolls up its sleeves and digs into how the world of land, planning and property development really works in practice, providing rare access industry insiders and valuable insights into real-world development deals, as well as keeping you up to date with the latest industry news. Colourful and at times controversial, the show focuses on how to do development the right way and aims to inspire and empower developers of all levels, as well as other professionals in the both the private and public sectors, to work together to build more and better homes that we can all be proud of. Connect with us on our socials for more educational content to help you achieve success in development. Millbank Land Academy Website: www.millbanklandacademy.co.uk Millbank Group Website: www.millbankgroup.co.uk Connect on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/paul-higgs Connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/paul.higgs.50 Join our community on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MillbankLandAcademy See all episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@millbanklandacademy1266 Economics Education Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Finance
Episodes
  • Is The UK´s Housing Crisis Mostly Fuelled by Planning Issues or By Its Property Tax System? – with Tony Vickers

    Is The UK´s Housing Crisis Mostly Fuelled by Planning Issues or By Its Property Tax System? – with Tony Vickers
    Dec 9 2025
    Who really creates land value, who cashes in, and could changing how we tax land finally shift development from easy Greenfield wins to regenerating the brownfield sites where we actually need homes? – Tune in to find out. Paul once again sits down with Tony Vickers to unpack why the UK housing crisis is so deep and to discuss ways to fix it. They reveal why so many developers are pushed towards easier Greenfield deals while complex brownfield sites stall despite people wanting to live there more. Paul and Tony look at how smarter land and property taxation, like that used in Hong Kong, could rebalance incentives, so that more of the right homes get delivered in the right places. Use Paul´s Scorecard to test your current development assessment process and work out exactly how to improve it. Click here - http://bit.ly/MLASCORE or https://millbanklandacademy.scoreapp.com KEY TAKEAWAYS Land value rises because of what’s built around it e.g. new transport links, – not what the landowner does. They sell that land at a huge premium, which means what is built on that land is expensive - the landowner gets the bonus - the people who move there effectively pay for it. If we push taxes on landowners too far selling is no longer viable, so sites don’t come forward and homes don’t get built. A middle ground has to be found. Most brownfield sites are too expensive and way too risky to develop. The numbers just do not stack up, so developers favour greenfield sites. Tax reform and funding can potentially be used to de-risk brownfield development and make it viable again. The number of hoops developers need to jump through to meet planning and environmental regs has reached the point where many developments are no longer financially viable. Well‑run planning committees with transparent processes, site visits and basic viability knowledge can unlock good schemes, while poorly run ones can kill perfectly workable projects. Better shared understanding between developers, councillors and communities about risk, viability and constraints could improve housing delivery as much as new policies or regulations. BEST MOMENTS “I don't think there's a lot wrong with the planning system, as Sir Jim O'Neill was indicating, it's the property tax system.” “There's human behaviour, there's environmental costs all factored in, and what I fear is that the government has given itself this impossible target.” “You've got to strengthen the hand of the local authorities a by allowing them to charge the full cost for developers.” 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/
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    58 mins
  • Land Trading & Flipping Sites Explained

    Land Trading & Flipping Sites Explained
    Dec 3 2025
    In this episode of Inside Property Development, Paul expands on the ins and outs of land trading. Including how to source off-market opportunities, add planning value, and decide when to sell or build. To help him do this, Paul shares the details of a recent experience he had of selling a small, fully de-risked site on LinkedIn. This episode highlights the changing property landscape, the vital role of land traders, and provides advice for SME developers who are navigating today’s complex planning and building environment. KEY TAKEAWAYS Prioritise finding off-market land opportunities and securing optimal planning permission yourself to maximise profits and reduce risk. It is not wise to rely solely on buying sites with planning already in place. Mastering the skills of land trading and planning adds value not just to your own projects but also helps to fill a critical gap. As planning systems become more complex and intimidating for newcomers the UK needs more people to learn how to land trade. Be adaptable in your sales approach; for smaller or unique projects, public promotion (like on LinkedIn) can connect you with the right buyers. Solely, relying on private networks is not always the right approach. Investing in education, mentorship, and knowledge sharing within the industry not only supports your own growth but helps sustain and grow the wider SME property development community. BEST MOMENTS “There's no point people complaining about land traders - if the system was simple and easy as it should be, there wouldn't be any demand or need or market for land traders.” “If you are a house builder or a developer … you have absolutely got to be de-risking things to start with.” “I can get the planning, so I'm literally creating opportunities for people to build out that wouldn't otherwise exist.” 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/
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    20 mins
  • Land Trading, Option Agreements and Promotions – What They Are and How to Use Them

    Land Trading, Option Agreements and Promotions – What They Are and How to Use Them
    Nov 26 2025
    For this week's episode of Inside Property Development, Paul covers a subject a lot of his trainees at the Milbank Land Academy are asking about - land trading, option agreements and profit agreements. He explains how they are different and shares some use cases for each of them. If you have a question about property development or today´s episode, we would love to hear from you! Please drop your questions in the comments section on YouTube or reach out to Paul directly at https://www.millbanklandacademy.co.uk/contact-us. Your input will help shape future episodes and ensure that Paul is covering the topics that matter most to you, so it would be very much appreciated. KEY TAKEAWAYS The majority of profit in property development comes from finding off-market sites, securing them at a sensible price, and maximising their value through strategic planning and design enhancements. Securing land via options, especially £1 options is a very good way of getting land at the right price. Landowners are happy to do this. You do the work to establish whether the land can be built on, and they know how much you will pay to take final ownership. Land trading enables you to acquire off-market sites on favourable terms, maximising it´s value through planning, and then either sell the contract or rights, rather than building to make your profit. Honing your fact finding and relationship building skills is essential, regardless of what approach you use. Landowners, like all people, want certainty so offering them a fixed price helps to get deals over the line. Promotional deals are best suited for long-term land opportunities with uncertain future value. They let landowners and developers share in the uplift once planning permission is secured, rather than setting a fixed price up front. BEST MOMENTS “Finding off-market sites, securing them on sensible terms, typically one pound option agreements and then adding maximum planning value… creates massive value.” “They (landowners) are way, way, way less inclined to agree to a promotion type deal or a discount to market value deal when it's relatively short term.” EPISODE RESOURCES Milbank Academy Scorecard - https://millbanklandacademy.scoreapp.com 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/
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    30 mins
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