Will the New Design PPG Make Your Deals Easier – or Impossible? With David Birbeck

About this episode

In this episode, Paul once again sits down with David Birbeck, one of the most knowledgeable people when it comes to planning and development. Together, they discuss the government´s new draft Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) and how it should work in practice. David is the CEO of Design for Homes, a Housing Design Awards director, an Honorary Fellow of RIBA, HCA design board member, NHBC councillor and Housing Forum board member. Both he and Paul have decades of experience, so this episode also provides practical advice about how developers can adapt and build high quality schemes that will sell fast. KEY TAKEAWAYS Liveability, climate, nature, and movement now trump façades and style. Policy is finally shifting from how closely new development mimic what is already in the area to how schemes work for everyday life. The new PPG replaces a tangle of guides with one much clearer, more visual document. It is vital that developers familiarise themselves fully with the PPG. If you don´t, you’ll be at a disadvantage when planners and inspectors start quoting it. Climate, nature, streets, and drainage are meant to be designed together - multi‑functional green and b