In this episode, Paul talks to the well-known architect Heinz Richardson who was also a director of Jestico + Whiles where he worked for 33 years. They discuss sustainable development, climate change, social justice and why the UK´s planning system is broken. 

They also discuss how architects and developers can work more closely together to improve the housing stock and overcome the problems that are holding the UK back.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

• For Heinz there has always been a strong connection between architects, the social environment and climate.

• Jestico +Whiles pioneered the employee-owned company structure for architects. Heinz explains how and why they went down that route.

• The House for the Future at The Museum of Life was built 25+ years ago using only building materials sourced within a 25-mile radius.

• With climate change, we have reached the point where we can´t stop it, now we need to work on mitigating it and dealing with the effects.

• Reusing what we have already extracted is vital.

• Despite his 30+ years’ experience Heinz was refused planning permission for his hyper-eco-friendly family home, which when built won awards. The planning system is broken.

• Even in conservative areas, people are open to and want innovative housing.

• Some planning authorities are becoming more discerning, but it is still hard to shift perceptions and deal with prejudices.
• Homes don´t need to be ostentatious to be desirable.

BEST MOMENTS

“John Wiles devised this fantastic scoring system that was brilliant. It measured people's contribution to the practice in 10 different fields.”

“If you do something, you should be able to disassemble it and use it again.”

“The irony of this refusal is that this was the 1st time I’d ever been refused planning in my whole career.” (planning permission for his family home)

“A lot of housing is quantum; it is about maths in the end.”

RESOURCES

https://www.instagram.com/heinzr54/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heinz-richardson-2b804aa/

https://museum.wales/media/5039/hotf.pdf

Amory Lovins - https://rmi.org/about/office-locations/amory-private-residence/

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