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Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Design & Creation

I regularly ‘secret shop’ schemes. I register my interest in new developments across the country, download brochures, make enquiries and follow the same journey a prospective buyer might take, partly because there is no better way to understand the home buyer’s experience than to have it.

Something has become increasingly noticeable, though. Very little actually happens.

The brochure arrives in my inbox and on the very rare occasion, and I mean very rare, it is perhaps followed by a call from the developer. Unless I am ready to buy a home from them there and then, the relationship quickly becomes silent. In some other cases, the emails continue, but the conversation tends to remain firmly focused on what is available to buy: a particular plot has been released, flooring choices are available for a limited period, turf has been included or there is an incentive attached to a home that the developer would understandably like to sell.

There is nothing inherently wrong with any of that. If somebody is close to making a decision, knowing that the right plot has become available could be exactly the information they need.

But what about everybody else? The other 97% who are not ready to buy right this second, as we discussed in a previous article.

How much of your current communication is genuinely useful to the buyer and how much of it is simply another variation of “homes available now”?

That question feels particularly relevant because, in another earlier Property Insight, The Decision Happens Long Before Buyers Ever Enquire, we explored how much of the modern buying journey takes place before a prospective purchaser ever makes themselves known. They may already have spent weeks exploring locations, comparing developments, looking through floor plans and forming an impression of potential homes before they finally complete an enquiry form.

What happens after an enquiry deserves just as much thought.

Interested doesn’t necessarily mean ready

One of the difficulties with property is that genuine interest and readiness to buy can be separated by months.

Someone can love a development and still have a house they need to sell. They may be relocating and trying to understand an unfamiliar area. Their finances may not quite be in place, or they might be waiting for a particular house type or phase, or simply reaching the early stages of a decision that hasn’t yet become urgent.

The enquiry tells us something important: this person is interested enough to want to know more.

It doesn’t necessarily tell us that they are ready to be sold a house.

And that distinction changes what good communication might look like. If every subsequent contact is built around availability, incentives and calls to book a viewing, we are effectively having the same conversation with somebody at every stage of their buying journey.

Perhaps there is another opportunity in the months between interested and ready.

Give people a reason to remain interested

Imagine somebody registers when a development is still relatively early in construction.

A few weeks later, rather than receiving another availability email, they are introduced to the thinking behind the architecture. Later, they see the first landscaping taking shape and discover why particular trees and planting were chosen. Another email takes them beyond the site boundary and into the wider life of the scheme, perhaps a favourite walk, a local restaurant, the market on a Saturday morning or the landscape they will pass through on the school run.

There is often a more human layer to each story.

Where it is appropriate, why not introduce some of the people who already give the area its character?

The independent coffee shop owner who knows half the town by name, the butcher whose family has traded there for years, the florist, baker, publican, bookshop owner or the people behind the local farm shop.

And let’s face it, people love a good farm shop.

It might be the place they stop on a Saturday morning for bread, local vegetables and coffee. It might be where they discover a butcher they trust, buy flowers on the way home or bump into people they gradually begin to recognise. Those details can seem small, but they are often exactly the sort of details people use to imagine whether a location might suit them.

For a prospective buyer who is new to the area, meeting some of those people through short interviews, photography or editorial features can begin to make the location feel less abstract.

In a small way, you are introducing them to their future neighbours.

As the development progresses, they might then meet one of the first residents, see a completed show home photographed properly for the first time or hear from the interior designer about a decision they would otherwise never have noticed.

Gradually, the development becomes more than a collection of plots, as a picture begins to form.

That is an important part of the job of ongoing content because people rarely buy a new home in isolation. They buy into an idea of daily life, into a location, a community and a version of themselves they can imagine inhabiting there.

The house is the physical product, but the story around it helps give that product far more meaning.

This is where developers have far more material than they sometimes realise. The landscape changes as the scheme matures, new neighbours arrive, the planting begins to soften the streets as views alter with the seasons. Local businesses, walks and routines become part of the picture as it evolves. The architect, developer, interior designer, local independents and first homeowners all have perspectives that can help a prospective buyer understand the scheme in a way a specification sheet never will.

And importantly, none of that communication needs to ask for an immediate decision. It simply keeps giving someone reasons to care, to stay interested, while the rest of their move begins to fall into place.

Then, when a new phase is released or a particular house type becomes available, the sales message lands in a very different relationship. The prospective buyer hasn’t spent six months being repeatedly asked whether they are ready to purchase right now. They have spent six months gradually understanding the place they might eventually call home.

What are we actually selling?

New homes marketing naturally concentrates heavily on the product. Kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, specification, incentives and availability all matter, and ultimately somebody has to choose a home and buy it. But by the time a prospect has registered their interest, they probably already know most of those things.

The opportunity after that point is different, as it’s to keep helping them answer a more subtle question: can I see myself living here?

That is why the story surrounding the scheme matters so much. A prospective buyer may already know the dimensions of the kitchen, but perhaps they do not yet know what Saturday morning feels like in the town, where the local sport teams play, who runs the farm shop five minutes away, where they might walk the dog or what the development begins to feel like once the landscaping softens and the first residents move in.

That is the territory that keeps a scheme alive in someone’s mind while the rest of their circumstances catch up.

So, there is a useful test worth applying.

If you removed every email about availability, incentives, specification (and turf!) from your prospect communication for the next three months, what would you still have to say?

For some developments, the answer might be surprisingly little.

The database isn’t the relationship

This is where conversations about CRM can become more complicated than they need to be.

The technology matters, absolutely, but a developer needs to know who has enquired, what they are interested in, when they last spoke and, where possible, how close they might be to moving.

But the system only remembers the relationship, it doesn’t create one.
That part is built through what happens after the enquiry, through useful contact, interesting stories, relevant updates and the sense that the developer understands that not everybody on the database is ready to buy today.

That does not require constant communication, as a handful of thoughtful emails across a month that somebody genuinely wants to open can do considerably more than a stream of ‘buy now’ messages they have learned to ignore.

So perhaps the question isn’t really how often should we contact our database?

It is what do we have that’s worth sending them?

Stay interesting until the timing changes

Some people will enquire and purchase quickly. Fantastic, but many won’t.
Six months after somebody first registers, though, something may change.

Their house sells, their mortgage position becomes clearer, the relocation becomes definite, or the house type they had been waiting for is released.
That is the moment when all of the intervening communication either earns its value or exposes its absence.

If the prospect has heard almost nothing from you, you may need to reintroduce the development entirely. If they have spent those months being repeatedly shown plots they were not ready to buy, they may simply have stopped paying attention. But if they have enjoyed getting to know the scheme, its people, its surroundings and the life around it, you are already front of mind and part of the conversation when their timing changes.

There is quite a difference between being remembered as the developer who has been trying to sell me Plot 27, with free turf, for six months and the development I’ve enjoyed getting to know for six months.

The decision may begin long before the enquiry, but perhaps the opportunity afterwards is simply to remain relevant, interesting, useful and worth hearing from.

If you’re thinking about how your development stays interesting long after that first enquiry, perhaps we should have a conversation.

Oakfield Perspective is our series exploring the thinking behind how residential developments are positioned, presented and ultimately chosen. Drawing on our experience working alongside developers, agents, architects and interior designers, we share practical observations on buyer behaviour, design and marketing, with one simple aim: to help create developments that people don’t simply notice, but genuinely want to live in.

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Design & Creation

Oakfield Property Insight
Part Two of our conversation with Paul Fong, Founder of Morgan Elliot Planning.

Everyone Says Planning Is Broken.
Paul Fong Thinks We’re Asking the Wrong Question.

In part one of this interview, Paul Fong challenged one of the property industry’s most repeated statements, arguing that the planning system isn’t necessarily broken, but has instead become significantly more sophisticated.

Success, he explained, no longer comes from simply submitting a technically sound planning application. It comes from leading the entire process through careful strategy, robust evidence and what he describes as “360 Planning”.

In the second part of our conversation, we explore perhaps the most overlooked aspect of successful planning: building confidence amongst everyone involved in the decision-making process.

Paul Skuse: Last time you described planning as leadership rather than simply policy. How important is it to understand the people behind the planning process?

Paul Fong, Founder, Morgan Elliot Planning:
For me, it’s absolutely fundamental because planning has always been about people as much as it has been about policy.

There’s an old saying within the profession that planning officers make recommendations while politicians make decisions and, although it’s a simplification, it reminds us that planning isn’t simply a technical exercise. Every application eventually arrives at a point where people have to make a judgement and, naturally, those people need confidence that they’re making the right decision.

Our role is to provide that confidence.

That doesn’t mean trying to persuade someone against their better judgement or finding ways around the planning system. Quite the opposite. It means demonstrating that every issue has been properly considered, every stakeholder has been listened to and every opportunity has been taken to improve the scheme before it reaches the decision-making stage.

Sometimes a planning officer may have reservations, while elected members see the wider social or economic benefits of a development. Equally, there are occasions where technical concerns need addressing before a proposal can move forwards. Understanding those different perspectives allows us to shape both the development and the way it is presented, ensuring decision makers are considering the complete picture rather than simply one element of it.

Ultimately, confidence is built through preparation.

Paul: It feels as though you’re representing far more than simply the developer’s interests.

Paul Fong:That’s exactly how we see it because, while the developer is naturally our client and their objectives remain central to everything we do, successful planning depends upon understanding every party involved.
The local authority has objectives.

The community has concerns.

Businesses have aspirations.

Environmental organisations have legitimate interests.

Local councillors have responsibilities to the people they represent.
If you ignore any one of those perspectives, you’re immediately making your own job more difficult.

That’s why we spend so much time understanding the wider context surrounding a site. Once you appreciate what each stakeholder is hoping to achieve, you can begin shaping a proposal that delivers benefits across a much broader spectrum than simply the commercial success of the development itself.

That doesn’t mean every stakeholder will agree with every proposal because development inevitably brings change and change will always create differing opinions. However, when people can clearly see that every issue has been acknowledged and thoughtfully addressed, conversations become considerably more constructive.

Paul: Community consultation often worries developers. They assume they’ll simply face objections.

Paul Fong:That’s understandable, but I think people often misunderstand why communities object in the first place.

Most people don’t automatically oppose development. More often, they’re uncertain about what that development actually means for them.
People naturally fear change, particularly when it’s happening close to where they live. If they don’t understand the proposal, they’ll often assume the worst because nobody has yet demonstrated otherwise.

That’s why engaging early is so important. We’ve worked on schemes where local residents initially had significant concerns, only for those concerns to soften once they understood the quality of the proposed development, the additional community facilities being created or the wider benefits the scheme would bring.

Communication changes everything.

If you’re prepared to engage openly and honestly, explaining not only what you’re proposing but why you’re proposing it, people often become far more receptive than many developers expect.

You won’t remove every objection because that’s simply unrealistic, but you can create understanding and understanding invariably leads to better outcomes.

Paul: So, for developers, planning really begins long before the application is submitted?

Paul Fong: Without question. In fact, I’d say the planning strategy is often one of the most valuable investments a developer can make because it shapes everything that follows.

We’re fortunate that we’re usually appointed at the very beginning of a project, often before any design work has really commenced. That gives us the opportunity to understand the site properly, identify opportunities and constraints, assemble the right consultant team and establish a strategy that everyone can work towards from day one.

Trying to change direction halfway through a planning application is always much more difficult because every consultant has already completed work based upon the original brief. If that strategy wasn’t right at the outset, making changes later inevitably adds both time and cost.

By investing more thought at the beginning, you avoid many of those problems altogether.

Planning, like most things, becomes much easier when you begin with a clear strategy.

Paul: Developers often ask whether every scheme should simply head to appeal if planning permission is refused.

Paul Fong:
Appeals certainly have their place and there are occasions where they’re absolutely the right course of action, but they shouldn’t become the default strategy.

An appeal can easily add another eighteen months to a programme, significantly increasing costs while delaying the entire development.
Our preference is always to secure planning permission first time because that’s invariably better for everyone involved.

The way we achieve that is by investing the effort before the application is determined rather than after it’s refused.

If you’ve built a technically robust case, engaged intelligently with stakeholders and created a proposal that genuinely responds to local issues, you dramatically increase your chances of avoiding an appeal altogether.

That’s ultimately a much better outcome for both the developer and the local authority.

Paul: The Government has made clear that it wants to accelerate sustainable development. Are you beginning to see that filtering through?

Paul Fong:
I believe we are. Every Government inevitably approaches planning slightly differently, but the current direction of travel is encouraging because there’s a growing recognition that the country needs more housing, more employment space and more sustainable development if we’re going to meet future demand.

That doesn’t mean lowering standards or approving poor developments because nobody benefits from that.

What it does mean is creating a planning system that allows genuinely sustainable, well-designed developments to move through more efficiently than they perhaps have in recent years.

From my perspective, many planning officers welcome that clarity because, like us, they want to see good development delivered. They care deeply about the places they’re helping to shape and, when developers present well-considered proposals that genuinely respond to local needs, there is often far more common ground than many people realise.

Planning works best when everyone shares the same objective.

Paul: Finally, if you could leave developers with one piece of advice, what would it be?

Paul Fong:
Engage early and engage intelligently.

Don’t begin by asking how quickly planning permission can be achieved. Begin by asking what the very best development for that site could look like and then build a strategy capable of delivering it.

Understand the opportunities and the constraints. Surround yourself with the right people and allow every specialist to contribute towards a common objective.

Most importantly, remember that planning isn’t simply about obtaining consent. It’s about creating places that communities will live with for generations, which means every decision made today has consequences far beyond the construction programme.

When you approach planning with that mindset, you’re no longer trying to overcome obstacles. You’re creating developments that deserve to succeed.

–

During our conversations, it became clear why Morgan Elliot Planning has developed a reputation for handling some of the region’s more challenging and complex projects. Paul Fong’s approach isn’t centred on finding shortcuts through the planning system. Instead, it’s built upon understanding every stakeholder, leading every stage of the process and creating strategies that give developments the strongest possible chance of success from the very beginning.

Perhaps that’s the biggest takeaway of all.

Planning permission isn’t won when an application reaches committee. More often than not, it’s won months earlier through careful preparation, thoughtful collaboration and the confidence that comes from genuinely understanding everyone involved.

Continue the Conversation
If you’re assessing a development opportunity, considering the potential of a site or simply want to discuss how an early planning strategy could strengthen your next project, Paul Fong would be delighted to hear from you.

Paul Fong
Founder, Morgan Elliot Planning
LinkedIn: @PaulFong
Website: morganelliot.co.uk
Email: Paulfong@morganelliot.co.uk
Direct Dial: 07770 268650

Oakfield Property Insight is an editorial series exploring the people, ideas and strategies shaping residential and commercial development across the South West. Through conversations with leading developers, planners, architects, estate agents and industry specialists, we aim to share practical insight that helps landowners, developers and property professionals make better-informed decisions while creating places that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Design & Creation

Oakfield Property Insight
Part One of our conversation with Paul Fong, Founder of Morgan Elliot Planning.

Everyone Says Planning Is Broken.
Paul Fong Thinks We’re Asking the Wrong Question.

The phrase “the planning system is broken” has become almost commonplace within the development industry. Whether speaking to developers, landowners or architects, the frustration is rarely far from the surface. Delays continue to grow, planning applications appear increasingly complex and costs continue to rise long before a brick is ever laid.

Yet during a recent conversation with Paul Fong, Founder of Cheltenham-based Morgan Elliot Planning, it became clear that perhaps the industry’s biggest misconception isn’t that planning has become more difficult, but that we’re asking the wrong question altogether.

Rather than viewing planning as a bureaucratic process to navigate, Paul sees it as a strategic exercise in leadership. Success, he argues, is rarely determined by the planning application itself, but by everything that happens before it is submitted.

It was a fascinating conversation that challenged many of the assumptions developers have become accustomed to making.

Paul Skuse: Almost every developer I speak to tells me the planning system is broken. Do you agree?

Paul Fong, Founder, Morgan Elliot Planning:
I completely understand why developers feel that way because, viewed from their perspective, the planning system appears slower, more expensive and considerably more complicated than it did even a few years ago. Every application now requires more technical evidence, input from a wider range of specialist consultants and significantly more supporting documentation than many people would have expected in the past. All of that naturally increases both cost and timescales before a planning officer has even had the opportunity to assess the scheme.

Alongside that, local authorities are facing enormous pressures of their own. Many planning departments are carrying workloads that simply weren’t there a decade ago, experienced officers are becoming increasingly difficult to recruit and the resources available to determine complex applications often fall well short of what the industry would ideally like to see. When developers experience those delays first-hand, it’s entirely understandable that they conclude the system itself is broken.

Personally, though, I see it rather differently.

I don’t believe planning has become impossible. I believe it has become considerably more sophisticated and, because of that, our approach has to evolve alongside it. The system now demands a much higher standard of preparation, a much deeper understanding of the issues surrounding a site and a much more strategic way of thinking long before an application is ever submitted.

For us, everything begins with understanding our client’s objectives because unless we genuinely understand what they’re trying to achieve, it’s very difficult to guide them towards the best route to getting there. Once we understand those objectives, we take ownership of the project ourselves. We don’t simply become the planning consultant preparing reports, we become invested in delivering the development.

That then allows us to assemble the right consultant team around the project, bringing together the technical specialists required to produce a planning application that is both comprehensive and robust. Whether that’s ecology, highways, drainage, heritage or landscape, every discipline has to contribute towards a single strategy because once that technical foundation is in place, you have the ingredients required to move the application forwards with confidence.

The important point is that someone has to lead that process.

Submitting a planning application doesn’t mean the planning system suddenly takes ownership of it. The planning authority isn’t there to champion a development on behalf of a client and nor should it be. Our role is to lead the project all the way through the planning process, continually presenting the strongest possible case for why that development deserves support.

Paul: Listening to this, it sounds as though you’re describing far more than a traditional planning consultancy.

Paul Fong: I think that’s probably a fair observation because planning today involves much more than simply understanding planning policy.

One of the largest projects we’re currently promoting is a seventeen-hectare business park which, once delivered, will secure the long-term future of two major employers within the county. The economic benefits alone are substantial, bringing investment, employment and long-term business growth to the area, but if that’s the only story we tell then we’re not presenting the complete picture.

Naturally, local stakeholders will immediately look at the loss of Green Belt, the impact upon existing sports facilities, ecological considerations and the effect the development may have on the surrounding community. Those are perfectly legitimate questions and they deserve thoughtful answers rather than simply being viewed as obstacles to overcome.

Our responsibility is to demonstrate the wider public benefits that sit alongside the commercial objectives.

In this particular case, we’re not only creating employment space, we’re also delivering replacement sports pitches, a new clubhouse and a mobility hub which connects directly into the wider cycle network, making it easier for people to travel sustainably throughout the area. When you begin presenting the project in those broader terms, the conversation changes completely because people are no longer looking at a single planning application. They’re looking at the long-term future of an entire community.

Planning, at its best, should always be about balancing those interests.

Paul: So, the role is now one of both partnership and leadership?

Paul Fong: I think it has to be.

There’s an old saying within planning that planning officers make recommendations while politicians make decisions and, although that’s something of a simplification, there’s a great deal of truth in it. Once you understand that distinction, you also begin to understand where much of our work really lies.

Our responsibility isn’t to persuade people to support something they fundamentally disagree with. It’s to ensure that everyone involved has complete confidence that every issue has been considered, every stakeholder has been listened to and every opportunity to improve the scheme has been explored.

Sometimes that means explaining the wider economic benefits of a development. Sometimes it’s demonstrating how environmental impacts have been minimised. Sometimes it’s about improving community facilities that already exist. Every site is different, which means every planning strategy has to be different too.

Ultimately, we’re helping decision makers feel comfortable making what can sometimes be a very difficult decision.

That’s why we describe our approach as 360 Planning.

Everything begins with understanding the development itself before bringing together the right consultant team, creating technically robust evidence, engaging with stakeholders, understanding local political priorities and ensuring the proposal addresses the wider economic, environmental and social agenda surrounding the site.

When all of those elements work together, planning becomes far more than a collection of technical reports. It becomes a coherent strategy.

Paul: That philosophy feels quite different from simply responding to planning policy.
Paul Fong: It is different and, if I’m honest, it’s largely been shaped by experience.

Over the years we’ve learnt that adopting a confrontational approach rarely delivers the best outcomes. Planning has never really been about proving who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s about understanding the concerns that naturally exist around development and then demonstrating, honestly and transparently, how those concerns have been addressed.

Every development creates change and, understandably, people are often cautious about change, particularly when it’s close to where they live or work. Our job isn’t to dismiss those concerns. It’s to acknowledge them, understand them and then show how good planning can deliver something that leaves the wider community better than before.

When people can clearly see that a proposal has been carefully considered from every angle, confidence begins to replace uncertainty and that’s often where progress starts to happen.

For me, that’s one of the most rewarding aspects of planning because you’re not simply helping deliver buildings. You’re helping shape places that people will live, work and spend time in for decades to come.

As this first conversation drew to a close, one thing became abundantly clear. While many in the industry continue to debate whether the planning system is broken, Paul Fong is focused on something entirely different. His attention isn’t on the obstacles themselves, but on developing the strategy, leadership and collaboration required to navigate them successfully.

It’s an approach that feels less about processing planning applications and far more about building confidence, bringing people together and creating developments that can genuinely stand the test of time.

Next Week…
In the second part of our conversation with Paul Fong, we explore why community engagement often determines the success or failure of a development, why developers should involve planning consultants far earlier than many currently do and how Government reforms are beginning to reshape the planning landscape. Above all, we discuss why Paul believes the best planning outcomes are achieved not through confrontation, but through intelligent collaboration.

Continue the Conversation
If you’re assessing a development opportunity, considering the potential of a site or simply want to discuss how an early planning strategy could strengthen your next project, Paul Fong would be delighted to hear from you.

Paul Fong
Founder, Morgan Elliot Planning
LinkedIn: @PaulFong
Website: morganelliot.co.uk
Email: Paulfong@morganelliot.co.uk
Direct Dial: 07770 268650

Oakfield Property Insight is an editorial series exploring the people, ideas and strategies shaping residential and commercial development across the South West. Through conversations with leading developers, planners, architects, estate agents and industry specialists, we aim to share practical insight that helps landowners, developers and property professionals make better-informed decisions while creating places that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Design & Creation

The UK property industry rarely stands still, but over the past few years the pace of change has accelerated dramatically. Rising build costs, planning delays, shifting buyer expectations and economic uncertainty have combined to create a market that many describe as challenging.

Yet beneath those headlines, another story is emerging.

The businesses continuing to succeed aren’t necessarily the biggest or the busiest. They’re the ones adapting fastest, questioning established thinking and working alongside developers far earlier in the process than in the past.

Few businesses illustrate that better than Hollis Morgan.

Since expanding their Land & Development and New Homes divisions, the Bristol-based firm has rapidly established itself as one of the South West’s most influential advisers to developers, landowners and housebuilders. Rather than simply selling completed homes or marketing development land, their approach centres on consultancy, strategy and understanding where tomorrow’s opportunities will come from.

I sat down with Patrick Addison, Director of Land & Development, and Dan Harris, Director of New Homes, to discuss how the market has evolved, why today’s buyers have become far more informed than ever before, and why they believe the greatest opportunities often appear during periods of change.

Paul Skuse: Patrick, looking back over the past nine months, it’s been a busy period for Hollis Morgan. From your perspective, what has the journey looked like?

Patrick Addison, Director of Land & Development, Hollis Morgan: When I joined Hollis Morgan last October, the mission was very clear: to build a dedicated Land & Development department that complemented what was already an exceptionally strong auction business.

Hollis Morgan has long been recognised as one of the South West’s leading auctioneers and that naturally lends itself to the sale of smaller development opportunities, from individual plots through to consented schemes of five or six homes. Our objective was to build on that foundation by creating a specialist offering for larger private treaty and informal tender sales, typically developments of nine units and above, where a more strategic approach often delivers a better outcome for landowners.

Since October we’ve completed a number of excellent transactions that demonstrate exactly what we’re trying to achieve.

One that stands out was a 5.5-acre parcel of Green Belt land at Willsbridge, near Bitton. It had no planning history whatsoever but we believed it had genuine potential. We advised the owners on every available route, including promoting the site through planning, but ultimately they wanted certainty and preferred an unconditional sale. The site was guided at £400,000–£500,000, which we were told by many was far too much for a Green Belt piece of land with seemingly low planning potential, however we found buyers that believed in it and in the end we  sold it for £700,000.  Now, less than 6 months later the purchaser has secured Permission in Principle for nine homes.

It’s a perfect example of matching the right strategy to the client’s objectives. The landowners achieved an excellent result without taking planning risk, while the developer saw the opportunity and was rewarded for taking that risk themselves.

We’ve also recently exchanged contracts on the former chapel in Redland, another site that had been available through other agents for some time. By combining targeted marketing with our developer network and running an informal tender process, we generated multiple competitive bids and secured an excellent outcome.

That momentum is continuing. We’re now seeing at least one or two strong consented development opportunities coming to market every month and, ultimately, our ambition is simple: to become the leading seller of development land across the South West.

Paul: Patrick has talked about building the land side of the business. How does that dovetail into New Homes?

Dan Harris, Director of New Homes, Hollis Morgan: There’s naturally quite a bit of crossover, although it’s important to say that Hollis Morgan already had a very well-established New Homes department before I arrived. I joined a business with some excellent instructions already in place.

What we’ve really focused on over the past nine months is establishing ourselves within the market and demonstrating the way we work.

For me, our biggest asset isn’t a particular instruction or development. It’s the people. Patrick and I have both built reputations over many years and that experience allows us to approach the market differently, particularly during what has undoubtedly been a challenging period for the industry.

Our first mission was simply to establish ourselves and let developers know we were here. I think we’ve achieved that.

We’ve secured instructions on some of the region’s most significant developments, beginning with Hill’s Clifton Collection beside Bristol Zoo, followed by Acorn’s Canynge Place and Buckland’s Place developments, before most recently being appointed alongside Linden Homes on River Gateway.

River Gateway is particularly satisfying because it’s a scheme I’ve followed for well over a decade. For years people told me agents would never become involved, yet here we are working alongside one of the country’s largest developers on exactly that project.

I think that’s because we’re increasingly being recognised as punching above our weight and that’s entirely down to our approach.

Paul: The market itself continues to dominate conversations across the industry. There’s still plenty of uncertainty out there, but you’re both sounding remarkably optimistic. Why is this?

Dan: Because the market isn’t broken.

It’s different.

There are certainly challenges and new ones seem to arrive almost weekly, but businesses that adapt are still performing exceptionally well.

Our residential department has just enjoyed its strongest month of sales on record, despite all the headlines suggesting otherwise.

The difference is that we’ve adapted.

Rather than trying to force yesterday’s strategy into today’s market, we’re constantly looking ahead and asking where demand is moving.

At the moment, we’re seeing excellent activity below around £600,000. First-time buyers certainly haven’t disappeared, despite what many people claim. In fact, many of our buyers are first-time purchasers paying close to asking price because they’re recognising genuine value.

Markets move in cycles and different sectors perform at different times. The businesses that succeed are the ones agile enough to move with them.

Paul: So, what does that mean for developers bringing schemes to market today?

Dan: It means everything has to be right.

Developers can no longer rely on simply launching early and hoping the market carries them through.

Today’s buyer is incredibly well informed. They understand specification, they compare appliances, they know price per square foot and they’ve usually viewed half a dozen competing properties before walking through your front door.

That means every stage of the customer journey matters.

From the first marketing brochure and CGI images someone sees online, through to arriving on site, walking down the completed road, entering the show home and experiencing the finished development, everything has to feel complete.

We’re actually encouraging many developers to wait slightly longer before launching sales because presenting a fully finished product creates a dramatically better buying experience.

Pricing is equally important.

Ten years ago there was sometimes room to overprice and negotiate later. Today’s buyers know exactly what represents value.

If the product is exceptional and it’s priced correctly, it will sell.

Paul: That sounds less like estate agency and much more like consultancy.

Dan: I think that’s exactly what it is.

The earlier we’re involved, the more value we can add.

We’re not simply selling homes. We’re advising on product, pricing, specification, positioning, launch strategy and customer experience long before the first buyer walks through the door.

That’s where we believe we make the biggest difference.

Paul: Patrick, what are you seeing from the land side of the market?

Patrick: There are definitely different stories depending on the type of site.

Larger apartment schemes remain challenging from a viability perspective and many developers are choosing to retain those opportunities rather than selling them.

Smaller housing sites, however, continue to attract significant demand.

Anything up to around nine units remains extremely popular, not only with established SME developers but increasingly with an entirely new generation entering the market.

One of the most encouraging trends we’re seeing is experienced contractors making the transition into development. These are businesses that have spent years building strong contracting companies, accumulating capital and developing expertise before deciding the time is right to deliver their own schemes.

Several of our recent sales have been secured by exactly those buyers.

It’s exciting because I genuinely believe that many of the developers people will recognise five years from now are building their first or second developments today.

Paul: We’re watching the next generation coming through.

Patrick: Exactly.

Many of them already understand construction exceptionally well, which gives them a real advantage. Our role is helping connect those developers with the right opportunities.

The relationships we’ve built through both our auction business and our land department mean we’re often introducing buyers who have been progressing towards development for several years. That’s also reflected in how we market sites.

We’ve worked hard to present development opportunities differently, making them far more engaging than traditional land marketing.

That approach has generated excellent traction, particularly through LinkedIn and Rightmove, helping us reach exactly the audience we’re trying to attract.

Paul: Looking ahead, what types of opportunities are you actively looking for?

Patrick: Smaller consented housing sites continue to perform extremely well, but we’re also seeing increasing activity around larger opportunities of thirty, forty or fifty units where regional housebuilders are actively looking to replenish land pipelines while planning delays continue elsewhere.

Affordable housing is another area we’re particularly excited about.

Handled correctly, affordable housing can deliver outstanding outcomes for both developers and landowners, providing strong cashflow throughout construction while still achieving excellent land values.

It’s certainly not appropriate for every site, but where it is the right solution, it can be incredibly effective.

That’s exactly the kind of strategic advice we’re keen to provide.

Paul: Listening to both of you, the overwhelming impression isn’t one of doom and gloom at all. It’s that success today belongs to businesses willing to think differently, adapt more quickly and involve experienced advisers much earlier in the process.

Dan: I think that’s absolutely right. The market today bears very little resemblance to the one we all worked in ten years ago.

Back then you almost knew which months would be busy and which wouldn’t. Today that simply doesn’t exist. Buyer behaviour changes quickly, news travels instantly and sentiment can shift from week to week.

The advantage we have is that we can adapt just as quickly.

Working alongside ambitious developers who genuinely want advice creates enormous opportunities. If we continue listening to the market, adapting to changing conditions and helping clients make informed decisions, then we’re incredibly optimistic about the years ahead.

The Hollis Morgan brand has been recognised across the South West for decades through our auction business. Now we’re building that same reputation across Land & Development and New Homes, and we’re very excited about where that journey leads next.

Continue the Conversation

Whether you’re a landowner considering your options, an established developer planning your next scheme or an emerging housebuilder looking for strategic guidance, one message came through consistently during our conversation: involving experienced advisers early creates better outcomes.

If you’d like to discuss a current opportunity or simply explore how today’s market is evolving, Patrick and Dan would be delighted to hear from you.

Patrick Addison
Director of Land & Development
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paland/
Email: Patrick@hollismorgan.co.uk
Tel: 0117 973 65 65, Option 3

Dan Harris
Director of New Homes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dhnewhomes
Email: Dan@hollismorgan.co.uk

Property Insight is Oakfield’s interview series exploring the people, projects and ideas shaping the future of residential development across the South West. Through conversations with leading developers, architects, planners and property professionals, we aim to share practical insight that helps the industry build better homes and stronger communities.

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Design & Creation

In the first of our new series of ‘The Planning Advantage’ articles, we explore how contextual CGI can help clarify massing, reduce interpretation gaps and support more informed planning discussions.

In many planning discussions, objections are shaped less by measurable scale and more by how a proposal is experienced visually from surrounding streets and viewpoints.

And increasingly, it’s the perceived impact that shapes the direction of planning conversations.

We recently worked on a rooftop extension scheme within Birmingham city centre where the primary concern wasn’t architectural quality or policy alignment — it was how additional upper levels would be experienced from surrounding streets and public viewpoints.

On plan, the proposal appeared substantial. The additional accommodation introduced new duplex levels above the existing building, immediately raising concerns around skyline impact, visual dominance and how the scheme might alter the established rhythm of the surrounding cityscape.

But architecture is rarely experienced in plan view.

It’s experienced from pavements, junctions, approach roads and compressed urban sightlines.

That distinction matters.
 

Right click to open in new tab at full size. Additional rooftop accommodation remains visually recessive within Birmingham’s established urban skyline.

Through a series of verified contextual visualisations, the proposal could be assessed from the viewpoints people would actually experience in reality — including key streets where concerns around visibility and overbearing mass were most likely to arise.

What quickly became clear was that the perceived impact of the additional levels was significantly softer than anticipated.

From street level:
• existing parapet lines continued to dominate
• surrounding commercial buildings retained visual hierarchy
• and the recessed architectural treatment reduced the prominence of the rooftop additions within the wider skyline

The proposal itself hadn’t changed, but the understanding of it had.

That shift is often where planning discussions become more productive, because many objections initially emerge from uncertainty rather than outright opposition. When scale, massing and visual relationships are properly understood in context, conversations tend to move away from assumption and toward something more measurable.

This is increasingly where contextual CGI becomes valuable within the planning process.

Not simply as a marketing exercise — but as a form of visual planning communication, particularly within sensitive urban, rural and heritage settings, carefully constructed visualisations can help:
• clarify perceived volume
• reduce interpretation gaps
• support committee understanding
• and create more informed discussions around visual impact

In many cases, the most important thing a CGI does is not make a scheme look impressive, it helps people understand what they are actually looking at.

At Oakfield, we work alongside planning consultants, architects and developers to help communicate complex proposals through contextual CGI and visual planning communication.

Particularly within sensitive urban, rural and heritage settings, clarity around massing, visual impact and streetscape integration can significantly influence how proposals are understood long before formal decisions are made.

If it’s useful to compare notes on an upcoming scheme or planning challenge, we’re always happy to have a conversation.

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Marketing

If you were to buy a new Land Rover Defender 110, when would you say the decision making actually happens?

Is it when you walk into the dealership, when you speak to a salesperson, or when you finally place the order?

Or did it happen earlier?

The Decisions Before the Decision

In reality, by the time you step into your local JLR showroom, something has already clicked.

You’ve seen the car out in the world, noticed it in the right settings, formed an opinion on the brand, and consciously or not, imagined yourself owning it. You didn’t wake up one morning and start from a blank slate, logically weighing every possible option.

You arrived at the showroom with a decision.

The dealership didn’t create the decision. It simply allowed you to act on one that had been forming for some time.

The Same Pattern Exists in Property

Property follows the same pattern.

If you were to map the buyer journey as a timeline, it wouldn’t break neatly into equal stages. It’s far more weighted than that.

In its simplest terms, over ninety percent of the sales journey sits in awareness, with the remaining percentage covering interest, decision, and action combined.

Which means most of what determines the outcome happens before the enquiry, before the viewing, and before any direct conversation ever takes place.

And yet, that final stretch is where most of the focus tends to sit.

What Happens in the First 90+%

Let’s go back to the Defender for a moment.

The appeal isn’t just the product itself, it’s everything that surrounds it. Where you’ve seen it, how it’s been presented, what it represents and the lifestyle it appears to belong to.

Over time, this that builds something far more powerful than information. It builds certainty in the right decision.

Importantly, this doesn’t all happen in one place. You might notice the car on the road, see it again online, come across it in the right setting, or hear it mentioned in passing. Each touchpoint feels small in isolation, but together they create a consistent picture.

Again, the same is true in property.

Long before a buyer steps onto a site or opens a brochure, they are forming quiet judgements that you don’t get to have any dialogue with, not in person anyway. Do I trust this developer? What have they built before? Does this feel like my kind of place? Can I see myself living here?

Those answers are rarely shaped by one single-page advert in Clifton Life or a one-off post on Instagram.

They come from consistent presence across multiple platforms, where their attention already exists:

Ongoing presence on social platforms.
Reinforced through email from when they signed up for interesting updates (not just the sporadic “Buy Now” messages I see constantly as I secret-shop my clients’ competitors).

This presence is not overwhelming, not constant noise, but considered, repeated exposure that builds familiarity and trust over time.

In the absence of that consistency and trust, buyers don’t get to form a clear picture.

And when the picture isn’t clear, decisions and actions slow down.

Why Buyers Seem to “Suddenly” Move

From the outside, it can often look like buyers appear and act quickly, but in reality, it’s rarely sudden.

What looks like a quick decision is usually the visible end of a much longer, invisible process. Familiarity has been building, confidence forming. The picture has been becoming clearer for them.

So when the right opportunity presents itself, the action feels straightforward, and almost simple.

Much like our example of walking into a Land Rover dealership—not to decide if you want one, but to decide which one.

What This Means for Developers

For developers operating at any position of the market, this dynamic has become even more pronounced in this economic backdrop.

Buyers are not easily persuaded in the moment and they don’t respond well to pressure or urgency for its own sake. Instead, they arrive already aligned, with a sense that the decision is theirs, based on days, weeks and usually months of awareness.

Which shifts the role of marketing entirely.

It’s no longer just about creating a spike of attention at launch or pushing harder at the point of sale. It’s about shaping perception early and doing so with consistency over time. The successful developers in the marketplace right now don’t just get this, they act on this also.

A Different Question to Ask

Instead of focusing on just how to improve conversion at the final stage, there’s a more useful question to consider.

What is happening in the first ninety percent of the journey that makes the final ten percent feel inevitable?

Because that is where the real leverage sits.

The Simple Reality

When that early stage is invisible, unclear or inconsistent, buyers hesitate. Decisions slow down and price starts to carry more weight than it should.

When it’s handled well, the opposite happens. Interest is warmer, conversations feel easier, and decisions feel far more natural for your buyers.

A Final Thought

No one wakes up one morning and deicides to walk into a Land Rover dealership and just buy right there and then (unless they’re a drug dealer perhaps).

And no one enquires about a development without already forming an opinion.

The question isn’t if buyers are deciding early. It’s whether you’re shaping that decision or leaving it to chance.

Developers don’t need more glossy campaigns. They need these as part of more marketing consistency.

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Marketing

At a time when much of the property conversation is still framed around caution and constraint, some of the most interesting momentum is coming from those willing to rethink how development, pricing, marketing and sales are approached.

I sat down with Dan Harris, recently appointed Director of New Homes Sales at Hollis Morgan, in Clifton Village — a place that feels as much part of Dan’s professional story as the role itself. What followed was a refreshingly pragmatic conversation about land, demand, psychology and why the market is far from finished — it’s simply evolved.

Paul:
Dan, it feels fitting that we’re sitting down in Clifton Village. You moved back here in Q3 last year to join Hollis Morgan and head up New Homes Sales — almost a return to your spiritual home.

Dan:
It really is. Clifton’s always been my old stomping ground, both professionally and personally. I’ve worked in and around the village for years, and there’s a familiarity and energy here that’s hard to replicate elsewhere. Walking out of the office into the mews, the cafés, the rhythm of the village — it genuinely lifts you. From a work point of view, that matters more than people realise. When you enjoy where you’re based, you bring a better version of yourself to clients and colleagues alike. Spiritually and professionally, it feels like coming home.

Paul:
When people hear Hollis Morgan, auctions tend to come to mind first. But New Homes is a much bigger part of the business than many people realise.

Dan:
That’s absolutely right. The auction arm is hugely successful — the largest in the South West — and rightly so, it’s a phenomenal business. But what sometimes gets overlooked is that Hollis Morgan is a far broader property advisory business than just auctions. There’s a very strong residential arm and a serious New Homes and land operation.

One of our challenges — but also one of our biggest opportunities — is changing that perception. We’re not trying to step away from auctions; quite the opposite. We’re leveraging that success to strengthen everything else. New Homes sits naturally alongside auctions because of the sheer volume of sites, land, and opportunities that flow through the business every week.

Paul:
So what was the real driver for you personally in making the move?

Dan:
Land supply. That was the deciding factor for me. You can have the best sales team in the world, but without a consistent pipeline of land and development opportunities, a New Homes department will always struggle to gain traction.

I’ve worked in businesses where land supply was sporadic or overly competitive, and it becomes very difficult to build momentum. What immediately stood out at Hollis Morgan was the volume and diversity of opportunities coming through the door — many of them initially destined for auction, but with real development potential.

I joined at the same time as Pat Addison, our Director of Land Development, who is exceptional at what he does. He’s incredibly driven, commercially sharp, and very adept at unlocking opportunities that others might overlook. The way we work together means that when a site comes in, we’re having intelligent conversations very early on about its best route to market — auction, land, or development. That joined-up thinking is rare.

Paul:
That constant flow of land opportunity to developers is the Trojan horse, really.

Dan:
Exactly. Developers are crying out for fresh opportunities. They want those phone calls that start with, “This hasn’t hit the open market yet.” A site for five, seven, nine houses — those are gold dust.

Because of the way the business is structured here, those opportunities come thick and fast. That means I’m having more meaningful conversations with developers than I’ve had in years. And importantly, they’re not theoretical conversations — they’re real sites, real numbers, real opportunities.

Paul:
Let’s zoom out a little. We’re at the start of the year — how do you see the Bristol market right now, and where do you see it heading?

Dan:
Bristol has changed dramatically over the last decade, but particularly in the last few years. If you look at the skyline, the cranes tell the story. Almost all current development activity in the city centre is focused on the living sectors — build-to-rent, purpose-built student accommodation.

When I first started out, cranes meant open-market apartment schemes. Large developments selling six or seven units a month without breaking a sweat. That landscape has shifted completely. City-centre prices have largely plateaued, and in some cases softened. It’s a far more price-sensitive and cautious market.

What’s interesting, though, is what I call the ‘doughnut effect’ — the areas immediately surrounding the city centre. Places like BS5, BS3, BS2. These neighbourhoods benefit from proximity, character, and comparatively better value. Buyers are far more analytical now. They want to feel they’re getting a deal, and that’s where those areas come into their own.

Paul:
So that’s where you’re seeing the strongest momentum?

Dan:
Without question. Overall price growth in Bristol is forecast to sit somewhere between 2–4%, broadly in line with national averages. But that headline figure hides a lot of nuance. Growth won’t be uniform. The strongest performance will be in those fringe areas where the value gap between city-centre pricing and local amenity feels unjustified.

At the same time, Bristol remains one of the most attractive cities in the UK for institutional investment. It’s got scale, education, employment, lifestyle — all the fundamentals investors look for. Build-to-rent and student accommodation schemes perform extremely well here, with high occupancy and strong demand. There’s still significant headroom for growth in those sectors, and it’s an area we’re actively looking to expand into.

Paul:
What about developers — are they still buying sites with traditional private sale in mind, or are strategies shifting?

Dan:
Developers are definitely more cautious than they were, but demand for good sites hasn’t gone away. What has changed is the nature of what they’re looking for. There’s a strong appetite for smaller, well-located housing schemes — typically five to nine units — particularly around the city fringes and commuter-friendly locations like South Gloucestershire, North Bristol, and North Somerset.

These aren’t ultra-prime trophy homes. Bristol is very price-sensitive at the top end. Schemes work when homes are thoughtfully designed, sensibly sized, and priced in a way that buyers can rationalise.

Paul:
Your recently sold-through Kingswood scheme feels like a textbook example of that approach.

Dan:
It really is. We launched at £425,000 and the response was flat. No momentum. We reassessed, adjusted to £400,000, and completely changed the sales dynamic. By controlling viewings and creating energy on site, all eight houses sold within three weeks. The final three sold in less than one hour.

That wasn’t luck. It was about understanding buyer psychology. People want reassurance, but they also respond to urgency when value is clear. Every sale came from a first viewing. And importantly, the sales stuck.

Paul:
Developers have historically been stubborn on price because of build costs. Has that mindset shifted?

Dan:
Sensible developers understand that unsold stock is dead money. Finished homes cost money every day they sit there. Developers have to sell — they don’t have the luxury of waiting it out like some private vendors.

Our role is to guide pricing from the outset, backed by real-time market feedback. But price is only part of the equation. Everything has to be right — the approach to the site, the lighting, the first impression. Buyers decide very quickly whether they trust a scheme.

The best developers obsess over detail. How doors open, how sightlines work, how spaces are actually lived in. When you can explain those decisions to buyers, it builds immediate confidence. It shows care, thought, and quality beyond the surface finish.

Paul:
It’s thinking beyond the point of sale.

Dan:
Exactly. That’s what separates good developments — and good agents — from average ones. Anyone can open a door. Real value is created by understanding how people live, anticipating objections, and designing them out before a buyer even articulates them.

Paul:
Which brings us neatly back to the bigger message here. The market isn’t dead — it’s just changed.

Dan:
Completely. There are opportunities in every market if you’re prepared to adapt. Think differently. Move quicker. Be proactive. When developers and sales teams work collaboratively and intelligently, you don’t chase momentum — you create it.

Paul:
Dan, that feels like the perfect place to land. Thanks for the insight — and welcome home to Clifton.

Final Reflection

The narrative that “the market is dead” is an easy one to repeat — but as Dan’s experience makes clear, it’s also a lazy one. Buyers are still there. Developers are still active. What’s changed is the margin for error.

Success now sits at the intersection of land intelligence, pricing realism, design empathy and a sales process that understands human behaviour. Those willing to think harder, collaborate earlier, and adapt faster are not just surviving this market — they’re shaping what comes next.

It’s a philosophy increasingly shared by those working closest to the coalface of development and sales — and one we continue to see echoed across conversations at Oakfield and through partners operating at the sharper end of the residential market.

The question, perhaps, isn’t when the market will return — but whether you’ve already adjusted to the one that’s here.

Dan can be found in and around Clifton’s many coffee shops, or direct at:
https://www.hollismorgan.co.uk/team/danielharris.html and https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-4a224810b/