“You need a system that puts the politicians, the planning departments, the planning officers under pressure to deliver a minimum amount of homes every year, or there are severe ramifications for them.”

Jonathan Vandermolen is the CEO of Vandermolen Real Estate and has over 35 years of experience within the property industry. He founded the Blenheim Bishop agency in 1991, which was the first independently owned land, development consultancy and new homes business before trying his hand at development and forming Vandermolen Real Estate in 2018. Since then, Jonathan has developed a reputation as a thought leader in the residential development market. 

In this episode, Jonathan explains that if he were Housing Minister he would create a planning structure that would have to be adhered to by all local councils, no matter what political party they were from, and ensure councils are obligated to provide a set amount of affordable housing, which start at 40 or 50 units in size. Over time, Jonathan would ensure that the planning system would mandate local authorities to have a minimum number of planning consents granted. Finally, Jonathan explains the need for more greenbelt housing to provide more people with a better quality of life - with environmentally friendly homes at the heart of any new homes policy. 

"I think the role of Housing Minister is a really challenging one because it lacks permanence...and yet you're dealing with a sector and an area of work that needs long-term strategic thinking."

In this episode we speak to Tariq Shah, the Director at the Vigo Group, a firm that specialises in transformational property-based projects, taking under-used or decaying assets and breathing life into them. Tariq is also Chairperson for Doncaster Town Deal Board and the Chairman of The Sleep Charity. 

Tariq explains that if he were Housing Minister, he would prioritise creating plurality in the housing industry; particularly focusing on how to support the competitiveness of SME housebuilders through partnering with tech companies to provide productivity and digitisation infrastructure to this group. He discusses how to stimulate long-term consistency in the planning system and also explains the benefits of further investment into infrastructure in areas across the country. He emphasises the need for stakeholders across the community to feel included in decision-making around housing developments and that after 10 years, in the role, digitisation, efficiency and productivity should be repeatable pillars for the housing sector.

“We all know that diversity is key in any flourishing economy and therefore bringing a lot more smaller developers to the table, allowing them more access to a piece of that pie, will in effect give us a better quality of housing stock.”

In this episode, we speak to Rutu Buddhdev, the Managing Director of Amara Property, a firm that designs and builds high-end residential homes and apartments in the UK. Amara Property specialises in luxury home developments and interiors, working on the total life cycle of development from planning, to build management, sale and exit strategies for investors. 

In this episode, Rutu explains that as Housing Minister, she would look to extend what Help To Buy has to offer, for both buyers and developers, to increase the housing supply and the projects available. Educating developers on the requirements around carbon emission reduction, and targeting supply chain issues will be key areas she would also prioritise.