Podcast Episode #16: Material Matters, Cut and Fill
May 5, 2026
Explore how early cut and fill strategy, sequencing and on‑site material management shape cost, programme and environmental outcomes on development projects.
Our March 2026 Newsletter
Welcome to our March 2026 newsletter. In this issue, we’ll tell you more about how we help SMEs prioritise what matters, avoid the common financial traps, and get projects moving, backed by our experienced team who have real housebuilding experience. We’re looking back on our March webinar, where Jack Kenny and Paul Rushmer gave an overview of how to optimise mechanical and electrical designs specifically for high-risk buildings. Plus, we’ll highlight this month’s podcasts! The first explored where structural engineering and building services design overlap, and why good coordination is so important to project delivery. In episode two, Hannah Simpson, Fran Walker, and Isabelle Latuszka spoke about their early-career experiences and how diverse backgrounds add real value to projects. Below, you’ll also get to hear about some exciting awards news and an event we’re co-hosting with the LPDF in Manchester.
Webinar: Optimising Design for HRBs
This month, our lunchtime webinar was hosted by Jack Kenny and Paul Rushmer who gave an overview of how to optimise mechanical and electrical designs specifically for High Risk Buildings.
They shared practical tips and live‑project insights on:
- The demands of Part L and how to demonstrate compliance
- Part O evidence and examples, plus how to present them
- Best practice to optimise design and gain approvals
- Plus, what success looks like with a run through of our work at Brent Cross
Missed it? Watch back now via our YouTube channel to learn more about HRB compliance and gain top tips for having the best chance of gaining stage two and three approvals for these complex projects.
Challenges Facing SME Housebuilders
The UK’s housing delivery challenge is well-documented. Yet amid the national conversation about planning reform, infrastructure, and build-out rates, one group consistently punches above its weight: Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME) housebuilders. SMEs are a vital part of the solution, but they face very real and persistent development hurdles.
In this article, we outline the advantages SMEs have, before exploring their key challenges in land acquisition, planning, and delivery, and the solutions they may implement to reduce those risks.
March Podcasts by Brookbanks
Catch-up on this month’s podcast episodes
The first podcast episode of the month explored where structural engineering and building services design overlap, and why good coordination is so important to project delivery. Hear from Lee Bowers and Lucy Wildesmith as they look at the coordination challenges almost every project faces and how small improvements in design alignment can make a big difference to overall delivery.
In episode two, Hannah Simpson, Fran Walker, and Isabelle Latuszka spoke about their early-career experiences and how diverse backgrounds add real value to projects. They reflected on the options open to Graduates, why the opportunity to rotate around a business is beneficial, and how their diverse skills and educational backgrounds add insight to projects, ultimately boosting value for clients.
Watch all our previous episodes on our YouTube channel to learn more about the latest industry updates and hear insights into planning, engineering, design, and infrastructure delivery.
Brookbanks Achievements
Brookbanks achieves Consultant Partner Award
Have you heard our exciting news? We won the award for Consultant Partner at the 2026 Wales & West Supply Chain Awards by Willmott Dixon this month.
Chris Vivian and Tom Quaife-Jones were there in person to collect our award, but it’s a proud moment for all of our team, as it reflects their hard work and commitment to delivering projects with technical excellence.
It’s a pleasure to work alongside Willmott Dixon, so a huge thank you to them for a fantastic event, and here’s to continued projects together.
CPD & Spring Drinks with LPDF
We’re really pleased to be partnering with the Land, Planning and Development Federation (LPDF) to host a CPD and Spring Drinks event in Manchester in May.
The event will be a great chance to learn more about best practices and techniques that enhance the value of strategic developments and to network over drinks.
Limited places are available, so email the LPDF now to book your place.
Email: info@lpdf.co.uk
Let’s Have a Catch-up
Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter.
We work across the UK and are always happy to connect, either in person or online, to chat about industry challenges, policy updates, or how we can help with a project.
Drop Owen Smith, our Client Relationship Manager, an email and he will happily introduce you to any of our team.
Email: owen.smith@brookbanks.com
More News
Mitigating the Impact of Global Uncertainty
April 30, 2026
Rising geopolitical tension does not affect development viability in isolation, but through increasing pressure on energy prices, supply chains and the cost of energy‑intensive materials. Where schemes are progressed on assumptions made under more stable conditions, these pressures can quickly challenge margins, appraisals and deliverability, particularly in a flat housing market. Our article looks at how developers can respond to build cost volatility in a more informed and proportionate way. Drawing on our specialists' experience, it explores how early coordination, design‑led value engineering and integrated decision‑making can help manage cost risk, protect scheme viability and avoid short‑term measures that compromise long‑term quality and value.
Our April 2026 Newsletter
April 27, 2026
Welcome to our April 2026 newsletter. In this month's Brookbanks newsletter, learn more about how high-rise developments can be made more deliverable, with guidance on how you can reduce risk and protect viability. We're also looking back on our April webinar, where Annabel Le Lohe and Katherine Peers gave a rundown of Environmental Impact Assessments and how coordination can make a real impact on project delivery. Plus, there's a recap of this month's podcasts featuring two special guests. Paul Smith, Managing Director at The Strategic Land Group, and Tom Park, Associate Development Director at Caddick Developments. Also, find out which members of our team will be at UKREiiF as well as more about the CPD event we're co-hosting with the LPDF in May.