Category: architects

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/

 

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Marketing

aka, What property developers can learn from Hollywood.

Over the New Year break, I caught myself watching a few film trailers.

Early trailers, too. The kind that appear months before anyone can actually buy a ticket.

The Odyssey and Disclosure Day.

Both are landing in cinemas this summer, and both have dropped trailers a full six months out. Importantly, these aren’t the only trailers — they’re just the first. The opening notes of a much longer campaign that will continue to evolve, reveal and build momentum right up to launch day.

Here’s the key detail most people miss: neither film is finished.

They’re still editing, still refining, still arguing over scenes, still making decisions behind the scenes that will ultimately shape the final experience.

The cut isn’t locked, the story is still being tightened, and yet…
…the marketing has already begun.

Because Hollywood understands something the property industry too often forgets:

Anticipation is built long before the doors open.

The Trojan Horse effect
The Odyssey, fittingly, begins with the Trojan Horse, and it’s a near-perfect metaphor for early-stage marketing.

These trailers aren’t selling tickets yet. They’re doing something far more subtle. They’re slipping quietly inside the walls of our consciousness, seeding curiosity, building familiarity, and starting conversations that feel natural rather than forced.

They’re also just the beginning. One of several moments that will be released in sequence, each adding a little more depth, a little more clarity, and a little more emotional investment as the launch date moves closer.

By the time tickets actually go on sale, the audience already feels invested. They know the story, they recognise the tone, and emotionally, they’re halfway there.

That’s exactly what early-stage property marketing should do.
Not sell.
Not shout.
Not push.
But arrive early, lightly, with intent, and then continue to build momentum.

A quick confession (age reveal incoming)
I’ll admit it — I’m of a certain age. I grew up on sword-and-sandal epics like Jason and the Argonauts… proper classics.

So, when I see a new Odyssey teased half a year out, it genuinely excites me. Not because I can buy a ticket — I can’t — but because it reminds me just how powerful storytelling and anticipation really are when they’re handled properly.
And property marketing, at its best, is exactly that: storytelling.

The lesson for developers
Too many developments wait until:
• the show home is dressed
• the hoarding is up
• the sales suite is ready
…before saying a word.

Hollywood would never do that.
The smarter approach is to market while you’re still building — while plans are evolving, decisions are being made, and the story is still taking shape.

Because by the time reservations open, you don’t want silence, you don’t want cold traffic. You want people who already know the story, already trust it, and already want to be part of it.

If you’re building something worth selling, don’t wait until it’s finished to start the conversation.

Drop the trailer first. Drop it early, and keep dropping right up until they can buy, and beyond.

And drop me a line to begin the marketing process ahead of your competition.

 

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Marketing

When you work in property long enough, you think you know who all the major players are.

Before we sat down to talk, Iain Powis, Head of New Homes for Bidwells Oxfordshire, showed me a new internal corporate film Bidwells are beginning to share more widely. It ends with a line:

“So you think you know property… but do you know Bidwells?”

It’s a powerful statement because most people do think they know Bidwells. They know the name, the heritage, the scale. But what the film highlights and what the conversation that followed made incredibly clear, is that very few people really understand the depth, the capability, or the strategic mindset behind the brand.

What follows is our conversation. A frank, peer-to-peer look at the market, the buyer, the mistakes developers keep repeating, and the realities of selling new homes in 2025, 2026 and beyond.

Paul:
The Bidwells video is bold. It makes you stop and reconsider what the brand actually is versus what the industry assumes. From your perspective, what sets Bidwells apart?

Iain:
What sets us apart is the combination of deep sector expertise and genuine longevity. We’re not trying to be all things to all people, we’re exceptional in the areas where we operate, and we’ve built decades of trust doing it. We’ve been part of major growth corridors — Cambridge, Oxford, the Arc — long before they became buzzwords. And because of that, we understand the nuance others overlook: infrastructure triggers, land values, political drivers, and the behavioural DNA of local buyers.

The video captures that well. It shows that we’re not a surface-level sales agency. We’re embedded economically, geographically, strategically. And because of that, our advice is grounded in lived understanding, not guesswork.

Paul:
You’re setting up the Oxfordshire office for new homes from scratch. What are you seeing in the market right now that developers really need to hear?

Iain:
Developers underestimate how intelligent buyers have become. Buyers now arrive with data in hand. EPC comparisons, square-footage benchmarks, school catchment stats, planning histories, even price-per-street analysis. The old “brochure and a smile” approach doesn’t cut it anymore.

Developers need to solve three things simultaneously:

Emotional connection
Logical justification
Trust barrier removal

If any one of those is weak, the sale collapses.

And of course, timing. Buyers don’t transact because you’ve launched. They transact when your home fits their emotional and financial window. Bidwells’ job is synchronising that timing by knowing exactly where the buyer is in their decision journey.

Paul:
Developers still talk about “waiting for the spring market” as if we’re in 2005. What’s your take?

Iain:
Seasonality is dead, algorithms replaced it.

The market now moves on:

• confidence
• mortgage products
• political announcements
• micro-local desirability
• and the velocity of digital engagement

Developers who still plan launches around the old seasonal model lose months of momentum.

We look at engagement data across all Bidwells’ digital channels daily, when people click, what they return to, where enquiries spike, and build our sales flow around behaviour rather than tradition. That’s where the results are.

Paul:
When we work with most developers at Oakfield, we see a constant blind spot: they don’t know their numbers. Website traffic, search rankings, enquiry flow, conversion ratios… all invisible to them. Do you see the same?

Iain:
Every day.
Developers know their build costs down to the penny, but can’t tell you their cost per enquiry or why certain plots outperform others.

Bidwells track:

• buyer heat maps
• repeat-view metrics
• time-to-enquiry ratios
• content engagement
• tendered interest level by demographic
• and enquiry attribution pathways

Without that, you can’t optimise. With it, you know exactly where to place your energy and where you’re leaking sales.

Paul:
What’s the most misunderstood part of selling new homes right now?

Iain:
That the buyer journey is no longer linear.
They don’t go:
Rightmove → Viewing → Decision
They go:
Social → Search → Content → Compare → Enquire → Return → Validate → View → Decide

Agents who don’t create frictionless re-entry points, quality content, strong digital follow-up, narrative-driven email flows, lose them at step three.

This is where working with strategic partners like Oakfield makes the difference. Developers need a joined-up approach that follows the buyer wherever they go, not just whoever answers the phone on the day.

Paul:
If you could give developers one piece of advice right now, what would it be?

Iain:
Stop selling the house.
Sell the life that happens in the house.

That’s what moves buyers today:

• how the kitchen actually works
• how the light falls
• how life flow through the home
• the reality of the commute, not the brochure version
• the weekend, not the weekday

When developers understand that and design and market for it, sale velocity increases dramatically.

Paul:
And from Bidwells’ standpoint, what’s the biggest advantage a developer gets from partnering with you?

Iain:
Authenticity and intelligence. We don’t just list, we think, we advise and we bring decades of Oxfordshire and regional understanding that no newcomer can replicate.

We’re not trying to be the loudest agency. We’re trying to be the smartest ally.

And developers feel that immediately when they work with us.

Paul:
Before we wrap up, sustainability feels like one of the biggest shifts happening across residential development. Every developer knows it matters, but very few a showing how best to approach it strategically. Where does sustainability sit in your work at Bidwells?

Iain:
For us, sustainability isn’t a bolt-on or a regulatory tick-box, it’s becoming one of the biggest competitive advantages a developer can have.

Buyers care. Planners care. Lenders care. And increasingly, future value cares. A home that performs better, thermally, environmentally, economically, simply has more long-term resilience in the market.

Where Bidwells really stand apart is how early we bring that conversation into the process. We treat sustainability the same way we treat design, pricing, or buyer behaviour: it’s a strategic decision, not a compliance exercise.

We look at everything from low-carbon build strategies, renewable energy integration, EV charging infrastructure, smart-home systems, biodiversity net gain, the lot, but all through a commercial lens. Not “what’s the greenest thing we can do?”, but “what creates long-term desirability, aligns with planning, and increases the value narrative for the buyer?”

Because here’s the truth:
Sustainability that feels like a burden doesn’t work. Sustainability that feels like a benefit does.

That’s where Bidwells brings real intelligence. We’re deeply embedded in science and technology sectors, so we understand the innovations coming downstream long before they hit the mainstream. That allows us to help developers future-proof schemes, rather than just comply with the present.

Paul:
A lot of developers see sustainability as something that adds cost but not always value. How do you shift that mindset?

Iain:
By showing them the numbers and showing them the buyer.

Energy efficiency isn’t ideology, it’s logic. A home that costs less to run is easier to sell. A home that performs to EPC A reduces fall-throughs. A home built with a smart layout, good fabric efficiency, and intelligent heating systems gets chosen faster.

And that’s before you even get into things like biodiversity enhancements or circular-economy thinking, which planners increasingly reward and communities love.

There’s also a brand position at stake. Developments that visibly care about sustainability differentiate themselves instantly, especially in competitive markets. Certification routes like BREEAM, Passivhaus, or simply best-in-class energy modelling give buyers confidence and give developers a narrative that drives demand.

We help developers frame that narrative properly, not as an obligation, but as part of the lifestyle and long-term value the home provides.

Paul:
So as far as you’re concerned, sustainability isn’t the future, it’s now?

Iain:
Exactly. And developers who treat it as future-prep rather than future-cost will outperform the rest.

Bidwells’ role is to help them integrate it intelligently into planning, into design, into marketing, and into the lived experience of the home itself. We want our clients building homes that are desirable today and resilient tomorrow.

That’s the goal. Homes that stand the test of time, economically, environmentally, and emotionally.

Why Conversations Like This Matter

Speaking with Iain reinforces something the industry is struggling to catch up with.

Today’s buyers are more informed, more analytical, and more emotionally driven than ever before and agencies need to meet them at that level.

Bidwells do that exceptionally well. Their combination of:

• deep regional intelligence
• data-led decision-making
• behavioural understanding
• and a genuinely consultative mindset

…makes them one of the most strategically aligned agency partners a developer could work with.

And the takeaway is simple:

If you’re not thinking about your strategy you’re leaving sales on the table.

The video can be found on the Bidwells home page: https://www.bidwells.co.uk/

Iain can be contacted direct at:
https://www.bidwells.co.uk/people/iain-powis/

 

Author | Paul Skuse, Oakfield Marketing

The first in our series exploring how AI will reshape property development — from concept to completion.

For decades, property development has been built on human insight and instinct. Developers, architects and sales teams relying on a mix of expertise, experience, intuition and a feel for the market.

That mix has built incredible schemes, but with markets shifting faster than human pattern recognition, the next evolution of our industry isn’t about replacing this experience, it’s about amplifying it with AI intelligence.

AI won’t design homes or sell them for you (yet), but it will make every decision between those points smarter, faster, and more predictable.

Here’s how the property development landscape is changing quicker than ever.

1. Knowing Before You Build
What if your next land purchase came with a built-in forecast?
AI can already analyse regional planning data, migration patterns, buyer search trends, and past performance to reveal where demand will exist two years from now — not where it was last year.

Imagine knowing:
• Which plot sizes and price points will sell fastest.
• Which areas will under-supply family homes within 18 months.
• How local infrastructure projects will affect engagement levels.

The sector will move from insight and guesswork to predictive development planning.

The shrewdest developers of the next five years will be those who acquire land based not on feel or past and present based reports, but on data gravity. This is where the weight of future demand naturally pulls.

2. Turning Creativity into Measurable ROI
Architects will soon be using AI not just to draw, but to prove. Generative design platforms can model dozens of build options in minutes, testing them against light patterns, EPC ratings, build cost, and potential yield.
This isn’t replacing creativity, it’s enhancing and redefining it.

Instead of guessing whether a layout will work, AI shows the probability curve of success.

“Add 1.5m to the kitchen-living space, remove the study, and your likelihood of achieving £X per sqft rises by 14%.”

This leap will move things forward, not with design by algorithm but to creativity guided by enhanced intelligence. The design aspects merge with research and development, creating more desirable homes, suited to the ever-changing requirements of buyers.

3. From Guesswork to Ground Truth
Today, we have the remarkable ability to learn from every home ever built and sold.

AI can now analyse vast datasets — floor area, structure, price point, time to sale — and extract patterns invisible to human analysts. It can reveal:

• Which layouts consistently achieve the highest yield, in what areas.
• How specification levels change buyer speed and price tolerance.
• What makes one 3-bed sell in a week and another linger for months.

Essentially, it creates a data blueprint for profitable design before planning even starts.

Developers can move from their own instinct to data proven insight, from what feels right to what is right. The developers who learn to tap into every past sale can now design every future scheme for success.

4. Precision Pricing and Specification Strategy
AI isn’t just forecasting value, it’s defining it in real time.

By tracking market velocity, buyer engagement and competitor stock, AI can recommend exact pricing to optimise both margin and engagement rate.

This means no more “start high, reduce later.” Instead insight that dictates that “based on comparable performance and search behaviour, this price point will convert 18% faster without reducing yield.”

It also turns specification into ‘aspiration with verified knowledge.’
By correlating sale price levels with specification variables, AI can identify which features drive both emotional connection and financial performance.

Which is why, at Wolfstone Leigh, we’re already applying this AI enabled deeper thinking. Our kitchen solutions are designed to sell emotionally, while performing commercially. Proven examples of how desire, data and design can coexist.

5. Predictive Marketing, That’s Smarter, Not Louder
AI doesn’t just inform the build; it transforms the sale. By connecting development data, buyer demographics and marketing activity, AI can help us to determine:

• Which content will drive the highest engagement.
• Which channels will convert specific buyer segments.
• When your audience is most likely to take action in the sales funnel process.

Marketing becomes even more proactive and benefits from an intelligent feedback loop. Every article, ad and email refines the next one.
For sales teams and sales agents, this is brings even more insight and understanding.

We’re now able to head into a development launch with live data on which house types are most likely to sell first, at which price points and to which buyer demographics.

Across every part of the build and sales journey, AI doesn’t replace the human touch, it amplifies it.

6. The Developer of the Future
The future property developer is still driven by vision, but now, more than ever, powered by precision. They’ll buy land differently, design differently and market differently.

AI helps us to turn instinct into evidence and creativity into clarity.

At Oakfield, we’re helping developers, architects, and agencies begin integrating this intelligence into their existing systems, without the jargon, without the overwhelm and without losing the art of what they do best.

Because the future of development won’t be about who builds fastest, it will be about who builds smartest and so sells fastest.

If you’d like to explore how AI could integrate into your design, marketing, or sales strategy, we’re offering a limited number of one-to-one consultations to help you map what’s possible.

Contact me today, to schedule your personalised AI strategy session.