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New proptech steering board to include Homes England boss
The government has created a proptech steering board that includes bosses from the British Property Federation (BPF), Homes England and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Housing minister Rachel Maclean said that the committee will explore how planning decisions, housebuilding, capital markets and renting could be enhanced using new technology.
The steering board is also designed to make sure the technology is being implemented across those functions.
On the board will be Melanie Leech, chief executive of the BPF; Peter Denton, chief executive of Homes England; and Faisal Butt, founder and chief executive of property venture capital firm Pi Labs.
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Ms Maclean said that the board would “ensure we’re using cutting-edge technology to revolutionise planning and housing across the country”.
She added: “We are already using proptech to speed up local planning decisions – providing £8.7m to 65 pilot schemes to help councils build more homes in the right places with the consent of local people.
“This new technology will play a valuable role in delivering our ground-breaking reforms in levelling up and regeneration to ensure the planning system works for everyone.”
The board will also include Miguel Nigorra Esteban, partner at Fifth Wall; Sammy Pahal, managing director at the UK PropTech Association; and Alexandra Notay, independent commissioner at the Geospatial Commission.
Matthew Trimming, senior advisor at consultancy PUBLIC, and Isabelle Chatel de Brancion, business and innovation lead at Ordnance Survey-backed firm Geovation, will also sit on the committee alongside DLUHC officials Joanna Key, Charlotte Spencer, Caroline Crowther, Milan Bogunovic and Lawrence Hopper.
Meanwhile, the fourth round of DLUHC’s PropTech Innovation Fund, worth £1.7m, and the second round of its Digital Planning Improvement Fund, are both now available for councils to apply to.
In August, a £24m government fund was launched that allowed councils in England to apply for grants to tackle the planning backlog. The Planning Skills Delivery Fund allows local authorities to apply for up to £100,000 to “provide support with clearing backlogs of planning applications”.
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