It is likely that some or even many of you will have seen or heard me speak at a live property event around the UK over the years, as I have done hundreds of them since 2002 when we first launched this magazine over 20 years ago.

I will give an example from a recent event I spoke at and it reinforces what I have been saying for years, that is that the ‘detail’ really matters. During this event talk, attended by about 40 people - most of whom identified themselves as investors, developers or landlords - I quoted an example of a very successful property project and explained briefly about one single factor that made it - for me - such a great property deal.

That one single item enabled the landlord-developer to increase the annual rent by 50% each year. It might be that I was not clear enough when explaining the detail about the deal, but as the value uplift was also over 100% on total cost I assumed I would be asked to amplify why, but surprisingly no-one asked.

The above is reinforced by at least three articles in this edition, and both are well worth reading carefully, as are many of our main feature articles each month. On page 22, David Kemp explains more about Class MA permitted development applications, which have become a popular choice by many new developers in the last year or so. And on page 36, Ritchie Clapson also highlights that ‘detail’ around planning is key for development success, as well as hiring an experienced planning consultant.