Brookbanks Latest News

Development projects often begin with a clear vision, a well-considered masterplan and ambitious objectives for the future of a site. As schemes progress, planning, infrastructure, engineering and commercial considerations all play a role in shaping how that vision is ultimately delivered. In the latest episode of the Brookbanks Podcast, Lee Witts, Group Director, and Richard Moorcroft, Chief Technical Officer, discuss the relationship between planning aspirations and delivery realities, exploring how projects evolve as they move through the development lifecycle. Drawing on their experience across planning, infrastructure and project delivery, Lee and Richard share their perspectives on why plans can sometimes look different on paper than they do when a scheme reaches delivery, and how greater collaboration between disciplines can help create stronger outcomes for clients and stakeholders.

In this episode of the Brookbanks Podcast, Katie Glaze, our Director of Sustainability, is joined by Mark Standen of BRE and Pantelis Levantis of Ecoveritas to discuss climate change adaptation and what it means for the future of the built environment in the UK. The conversation explores how designers, developers and portfolio owners can respond to rising temperatures, changing weather patterns and evolving climate conditions, alongside practical measures that can improve building resilience and long-term performance.

Following our recent partnership announcement with CBPE, we're pleased to share three key leadership promotions that reflect the continued growth of Brookbanks. Hear from Andrew Thorley, Richard Moorcroft and Rachel Appleby as they discuss their evolving roles and their shared focus on supporting our people, clients and long-term vision for the business.

Early preparation and a clear disposal strategy help maximise site value and give purchasers confidence in a site's development potential. By aligning planning, infrastructure, technical and commercial considerations from the outset, landowners can clearly demonstrate deliverability, reduce risk and support successful disposal outcomes.

This month, we explored more of the key themes that have been shaping the development sector in recent weeks, from unlocking grid capacity and navigating infrastructure constraints through to improving structural efficiency and long-term project viability. In this month’s newsletter, take a look back at our latest webinar, where we were joined by Ed Hurford from the Local Energy Markets Alliance to discuss how smarter, more coordinated energy approaches could help bring forward development for constrained sites. This month’s podcasts also shared more practical insights: episode one focused on the relationship between upfront costs and long-term value in project delivery, while episode two explored the role of transfer slabs and how early design decisions can drive more efficient structural outcomes. Plus, our latest thought leadership article highlighted why land strategies should be reviewed regularly to stay aligned with changing policy, infrastructure and market conditions. And finally, if you missed our exciting news, read more about our new partnership with CBPE Capital and what it means for Brookbanks’ continued growth.

The development landscape continues to evolve. Planning policy, infrastructure requirements, utility capacity, environmental obligations and market conditions are all influencing how residential schemes are assessed, planned and delivered. Against this backdrop, the Home Builders Federation's latest SME Developer Sentiment Survey highlights development viability as an increasingly important area of focus for SME housebuilders. For a sector that plays a critical role in delivering much-needed housing across the UK, the findings provide a valuable snapshot of the factors influencing investment decisions, land acquisition strategies and project delivery.

Transfer slabs are a key component in complex structural design, and evolving regulatory expectations are strengthening how their performance is understood and demonstrated. This article shares our perspective on the Building Safety Regulator’s focus on transfer slabs, outlining what it means for new and existing buildings, and highlighting the value of clear, evidence-led design and proportionate engineering judgement.

As the long-term sustainability and operational efficiency of developments come under greater scrutiny, the balance between initial capital outlay and long-term expenditure is playing an increasingly important role in successful project delivery. In our latest podcast, “Life Cycle & Upfront Costs,” Ben Wakeling is joined by Gerrad Mukuyu to explore how these two critical aspects of project budgeting interact in practice. The discussion focuses on why evaluating a project's financial footprint over its entire lifespan rather than just its construction phase can improve scheme viability, reduce risk, and ultimately create more sustainable, cost-effective assets.

In this webinar we explore how grid constraints are increasingly affecting development and how smart local energy systems could help unlock capacity and accelerate delivery. Hosted by Matthew Capper, with guest Ed Hurford from the Local Energy Markets Alliance (LEMA), the session takes a conversational look at the challenges facing the electricity network and introduces an emerging, market‑based solution designed to address them. The discussion is particularly relevant to those working across planning, utilities and development who are dealing with delays, costs and uncertainty associated with grid connections on new and existing schemes.

Brookbanks is pleased to announce that it has entered into a new partnership with CBPE Capital, marking an exciting new phase in the continued evolution of the business.