PJA Chairman, Phil Jones, met with Housing Minister Esther McVey MP as she unveiled a new expert advisory council dedicated to the digital transformation of the property sector.
Phil attended the meeting with long-term collaborator Annette Jezierska, co-founder of tech company The Future Fox – the creators of the fast-growing StreetBuilder digital platform that helps developers and local authorities better engage with people about transport and planning proposals in their area. Several other PropTech entrepreneurs also attended the event.
Faisal Butt, founder and CEO of Pi Labs, was announced as the first expert to sit on the minister’s council, which will advise the government on how to support and grow the sector further, making it easier and cheaper to plan, build and buy new homes.
Housing Minister Esther McVey MP said: “We’re taking every advantage that new technology has to offer across the entire house building and house buying journey. Whether that’s finding a plot of land, getting planning permission, engaging the local community, getting the property built or selling or buying a house.
“The people behind PropTech are using technology to make the process faster, simpler and cheaper. This new industry is digitally transforming the whole of the property sector, putting much more information at the public’s fingertips.”
Phil added: “Better digital technology including data sharing and data-driven decision making can hugely benefit the property industry – and especially the housing market – at the planning, buying and selling stages.
“I was really pleased to meet Esther McVey MP and hear her support for technological innovation in the industry. She was very interested in how The Future Fox can engage people in connection with development proposals.”
The event was held at the London-based offices of Geovation – an initiative dedicated to supporting open innovation and collaboration using location and property data, delivered and funded jointly by Ordnance Survey and HM Land Registry.
The Future Fox has worked in Lewisham to triple engagement rates on urban realm projects and make it easier for client to respond to community feedback.
