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Chris Doré, TriConnex Business Development Director, features in ShowHouse Magazine’s ‘Utilities Feature’ November edition. Chris speaks with journalist Gill Oliver, discussing competition for resources and labour and how housebuilders are facing challenges in getting their sites connected.

Read Chris’ full interview and insights on pg39-41 here.

Balancing Technical Knowledge and Clarity: Navigating Power Availability Challenges for Real Estate Projects in the UK

By Chris Doré, Business Development Director, TriConnex

In the world of real estate development, where projects are driven by tight schedules and budgets, ensuring power availability can be a significant yet often overlooked challenge. For investors, developers, and contractors, power is a crucial component but typically a small piece of the larger puzzle. The complexity of securing a reliable power supply from the UK’s few Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) is a daunting task, especially when grid offers come with numerous caveats and conditional requirements. The key to success in this environment lies in striking the right balance between detailed technical knowledge and the ability to communicate it clearly and empathetically, providing certainty in a field known for its unpredictability.

The Dilemma: Technical Complexity vs. Clear Communication

Real estate professionals typically focus on broader project concerns like timelines, budgets, and regulatory compliance, which makes understanding the intricate details of power supply seem secondary. However, this perspective often clashes with the technical nature of grid offers, which are complex documents produced by DNOs. These offers detail when and how much power will be available but are often riddled with uncertainties, provisional budget elements, and dependencies on the completion of other works.

The challenge for those managing these power connections is to translate this technical jargon into clear, actionable insights that resonate with stakeholders whose main concern is simply, “Will I get my power, and when?” Bridging this gap between technical knowledge and customer concerns is critical for building trust and providing reassurance in an inherently uncertain area.

The Intricacies of Grid Offers

A grid offer from a DNO outlines the terms under which power will be supplied to a development project. It includes technical details about capacity, connection points, costs, timelines, and conditions that need to be met. These offers are produced rapidly, often under pressure to meet regulatory timelines, leading to documents filled with provisional details and caveats. Real estate stakeholders, who may not have a deep understanding of power engineering, can easily overlook these nuances.

One of the biggest challenges in grid offers is the conditional nature of the terms. Many offers are contingent upon the completion of other infrastructure works or depend on the availability of resources that may be outside the control of both the developer and the DNO. This creates a sense of uncertainty that can be frustrating for project leaders who need definitive answers to make informed decisions.

The Need for Empathetic Communication

For those in the role of advising or facilitating power connections, empathy becomes a powerful tool. Real estate professionals often have limited patience for technical explanations that do not directly answer their fundamental questions. They are primarily concerned with risk mitigation, project timelines, and cost control, not the intricate engineering details that dictate these factors.

Communicating with empathy means acknowledging the disinterest or frustration that stakeholders might feel towards the technical aspects while still providing them with the necessary information in a simplified, digestible manner. The goal is to reassure them that, despite the complexity, their concerns are understood, and their need for certainty is being prioritized.

Strategies for Simplifying the Complex

To build trust and provide clarity in this environment, there are several strategies that those managing power connections can employ:

Focus on Outcomes, Not Just Details: Start by addressing the core questions that matter to the stakeholder: “Will I get my power?” and “When can I expect it?” Once these primary concerns are addressed, provide a high-level overview of the process and any potential risks that could impact these outcomes. This approach keeps the focus on the project’s goals rather than getting lost in technical minutiae.

Create Visual Aids and Summaries: Complex grid offers can often be distilled into visual summaries that highlight key points. Using charts, timelines, and bullet points to outline the steps involved in securing power and the factors that could cause delays makes the information more accessible to non-technical audiences.

Proactive Risk Communication: Instead of waiting for stakeholders to uncover caveats or conditional elements buried in the offer, proactively highlight these areas and explain their implications. This transparency helps manage expectations and positions you as a trusted advisor who anticipates challenges rather than reacts to them.

Leverage Analogies and Relatable Concepts: Use analogies or simple comparisons to help stakeholders understand complex technical concepts. Relating power grid issues to more familiar project risks, such as supply chain delays or construction setbacks, can make the information more relatable and easier to digest.

Building Trust Through Certainty

The ultimate goal for those managing power connections is to deliver certainty or at least a clear pathway to it. Even when a definitive answer isn’t immediately available due to the conditional nature of grid offers, being upfront about potential risks and outlining contingency plans can provide stakeholders with a sense of control and confidence.

Building trust in this context requires not only technical expertise but also the ability to act as a bridge between the complexity of power supply logistics and the straightforward demands of real estate projects. It’s about guiding stakeholders through the maze of technical data while keeping their focus on the finish line—ensuring they get the power they need when they need it.

The Role of Expertise in Simplification

While empathy and communication skills are critical, the foundation of this approach must be a deep technical understanding. To simplify effectively, one must first grasp the complexities involved. This knowledge enables the translation of technical details into practical insights that resonate with the audience’s concerns.

Experts in power connections must stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the energy sector, regulatory changes, and the evolving capabilities of DNOs. This knowledge empowers them to provide the most accurate guidance and set realistic expectations for their clients.

Conclusion: Mastering the Balance

Navigating the tension between detailed technical knowledge and clear communication is essential for anyone involved in managing power connections for real estate projects. For investors, developers, and contractors, certainty in power availability is not just a technical requirement; it’s a business imperative that affects project timelines, costs, and overall success.

By focusing on outcomes, simplifying complex details, and communicating with empathy, power connection experts can build trust and deliver the clarity their clients need. Mastering this balance not only enhances the client relationship but also positions you as a trusted partner in a landscape where certainty is often in short supply.

How We Simplify the Complex

At the heart of what we do is a commitment to bridging the gap between complex technical details and the straightforward answers our clients need. We understand that for investors, developers, and contractors, power is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. That’s why we focus on providing clear, actionable insights that address their most pressing questions about power availability and timelines.

Here’s how we do it:

Outcome-Driven Communication: We begin every conversation by focusing on the outcome that matters most to our clients: ensuring they know when and if they will get their power. We make it a priority to address these concerns upfront, providing a clear picture of the project’s current status and any factors that might affect the delivery of power. This way, our clients can make informed decisions with confidence.

Visual Clarity: We translate the complex details of grid offers into visual summaries that highlight the most critical information. Through the use of clear charts, timelines, and simplified graphics, we make it easy for clients to understand the steps involved in the process, the projected timelines, and any potential roadblocks. This approach transforms technical data into an easily digestible format.

Proactive Transparency: Rather than waiting for clients to uncover uncertainties or caveats within the grid offers, we proactively point out these elements and explain their implications. We identify risks upfront, providing clear explanations about how they might impact power delivery and the steps we can take to mitigate them. This transparency helps manage expectations and establishes us as trusted partners who are committed to avoiding surprises.

Relatable Explanations: To make technical details more relatable, we use analogies and comparisons that align with the client’s day-to-day experiences in real estate development. By connecting power grid issues to more familiar challenges like construction delays or supply chain disruptions, we help our clients grasp the potential impacts without getting lost in technical jargon.

Building Trust Through a Partnership Approach

Our approach is built on the understanding that, while we are experts in power connections, our clients are experts in managing real estate projects. We see our role as more than just service providers; we are partners who stand alongside our clients, guiding them through the complexities of power availability while keeping their project goals front and center.

We believe that certainty is not just about providing definitive answers—it’s about ensuring that our clients have a clear understanding of the process and the confidence that we are doing everything in our power to deliver reliable results. Even when faced with the uncertainties of grid offers and DNO dependencies, our goal is to create a pathway to certainty through transparency, clarity, and a focus on outcomes.

Expertise That Supports Simplification

Our ability to simplify complex issues starts with our deep technical knowledge and our constant engagement with the evolving landscape of the UK power grid. We stay informed on the latest developments in the energy sector, regulatory changes, and the capabilities of the DNOs, so we can anticipate challenges and set realistic expectations for our clients.

This foundation of expertise allows us to distill intricate technical details into straightforward, actionable insights, helping our clients navigate their projects with a clear sense of direction and minimal risk

Conclusion: Our Commitment to Clarity

In the realm of real estate development, where power needs are a small but crucial part of the project, we recognize the importance of providing certainty in an environment filled with technical complexities. Our focus on outcome-driven communication, visual clarity, proactive transparency, and relatable explanations sets us apart as a trusted partner.

We are committed to guiding our clients through the maze of technical data, ensuring that they get the power they need, when they need it, without losing sight of their broader project objectives. By mastering the balance between technical expertise and empathetic communication, we provide the clarity and certainty that real estate investors, developers, and contractors need to succeed.

Our team attended the WhatHouse? Awards last Friday 15th November at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, hosted by James Nesbitt!

We are proud to have sponsored the ‘Best Sustainable Development’ category with awards going to:

🥉Bronze: Taylor Wimpey
🥈Silver: Weston Homes
🥇Gold: Greencore Homes

The WhatHouse? Awards is always a brilliant and a great opportunity to connect with industry leaders and celebrate the successes in UK housebuilding. Congratulations to everyone!

Our team attended the 2024 Housebuilder Awards on Thursday night at the InterContinental London – The O2.

We sponsored the ‘Medium Housebuilder of the year’ category, and our Business Development Director Chris Doré presented the award to Peabody! A big congratulations to them! Keepmoat and Brierley Homes also did well, taking home awards in the Small and Large Housebuilder of the year categories.

The event is always a brilliant opportunity to connect with industry leaders and celebrate the success across our industry.

Congratulations to all the winners!

We are pleased to have renewed our Diamond Partner Membership with Housebuilder Media for the 13th year.

Ben Roskrow, Publishing Director at Housebuilder Media shares his thoughts on how our support helps contribute towards the utilities market:

Take the X Factor out of the planning process and focus on facts instead

By Chris Doré, Business Development Director, TriConnex

Why should planning be any different?

Complex decisions across public health, education and infrastructure are usually delegated to trained professionals who apply established policies and standards before reaching informed conclusions.

Contrast this with the process of granting planning permission for new housing developments.

Despite a rigorous framework staffed by qualified local authority planners and including extensive consultation with stakeholders, the final decision often falls to a committee of councillors.

This isn’t just inefficient, it also undermines the integrity of the planning process, leading to decisions driven by parochial interests rather than the common good.

A framework with baked-in fairness and transparency

Firstly, to understand the redundancy of councillor involvement, let’s examine the existing planning framework:

• The system is hard-wired to be adequate, equitable and transparent, with planning applications assessed based on a regulatory and policy framework that ensures fairness and transparency.
• The process gathers input from a wide range of stakeholders, including those most likely to be affected by the proposal.
• Planning applications are overseen by trained professionals including qualified planners who are trained to interpret and enact policy and conduct thorough evaluations of planning applications. Their expertise ensures decisions are based on a comprehensive understanding of planning principles and the broader impact on the community.
• The process is controlled and systematic, with planning requests managed within the context of targets and local plans, so that development aligns with broader strategic goals. This prevents ad hoc decisions and promotes systematic growth.
• Planning consent is often conditional on applicants addressing a development’s impact, such as contributing to local infrastructure or services. This ensures new developments don’t place undue strain on existing resources.
• The process is uniformly rigorous so whether you’re Jeremy Clarkson or Joe Bloggs, all applicants go through the same exacting process to guarantee decisions are made consistently and fairly and without preferential treatment.

All the above illustrate just how robust and fair our planning process is. It’s a long-standing, evolved system designed to manage societal development efficiently, without requiring every citizen to be directly involved in the intricate details.

The X Factor effect

What’s frustrating is that despite the robustness of the planning framework, the final decision on planning applications is often handed over to a committee of councillors.

• This intervention by laypeople, often lacking the necessary expertise, transforms the decision-making process into a spectacle and a popularity contest.
• Councillors are often called on to make crucial final decisions while caught in the glare of impassioned voters and the media.
• This introduces a level of unpredictability, with decisions at risk of being influenced by political considerations, local biases and vocal minority groups.
• In many cases, emotional appeals and populist rhetoric drown out systematic and professional evaluations and recommendations put forward by highly trained planners.

Preservation and NIMBY perception versus fact

Much opposition to new development stems from a ‘Not in My Back Yard’ (NIMBY) mentality. This mindset is based on the flawed notion that as soon as someone moves into an area, their current living conditions must remain forever unchanged.

• Many existing residents feel entitled to an environment that’s forever frozen in time. Based on the flawed presumption that it’s possible to ‘own’ a view or preserve a village or town’s ‘character’, it completely ignores the dynamic nature of urban development and the benefits new housing can bring to a community.
• Opponents often forget the disruption caused when their own home was built. Their selective memory also wipes all trace of the traffic their presence generates and the infrastructure they rely on. But re-setting the baseline to zero once they’re settled and demanding progress halts from that point onwards, is both hypocritical and unrealistic.
• Those opposing new developments often make applicants out to be villains. These narratives conveniently ignore the fact that the planning process includes stringent checks and balances to make sure developments are beneficial and any adverse impacts are mitigated.
• Housing, infrastructure and development are essential for societal growth. Prioritising the preferences of a few over the needs of the many undermines collective well-being and hampers progress.

Pitfalls of public decision making

Imagine the absurd results if the principle of lay decision-making, as per residential planning, was applied across public health, emergency services and licensing?

Let’s see what would happens if those areas were subjected to the same random, unqualified scrutiny as planning applications:

• Public services: Would we allow a lay committee to decide when bins are collected, or how mental health services are run? I think most of us agree decisions like these require highly specialised knowledge and should be left to professionals.
• Emergency services: Picture the catastrophic outcomes if public opinion or councillor debates, rather than expert opinion, decided which emergencies our local fire fighters attend.
• Licensing: Granting licenses to operate essential services such as electricity networks or driving cabs, involves technical criteria best assessed by qualified authorities – not laypeople.

That’s why I believe the intervention of councillors in the planning decision process isn’t justifiable from any defensible position, except perhaps selfish or politically motivated ones.

The existing planning framework, with its trained professionals, rigorous standards, and inclusive stakeholder consultation, is more than adequate to ensure fair, equitable, and transparent outcomes. Introducing a layer of lay decision-making only politicises and complicates a process that should be based on objective criteria and professional judgment.

A future free from the plague of parochial bias

I say it’s time to remove councillor intervention from planning decisions and trust the established system.

This will lead to more consistent, fair and efficient outcomes, free from the parochial interests that currently plague the process.

Do this and we’ll be upholding the integrity of planning as a professional discipline and ensuring our communities can grow and evolve in a balanced and considered manner.

One of the critical challenges faced by Housebuilders is the demand for electricity capacity, putting all housing developers in a race to secure capacity for their projects. TriConnex launched its unique Grid Dynamix service early last year, which addresses the challenges of grid capacity and supports residential developers with finding, capturing and keeping the electrical connections they require for their live projects.

The TriConnex Grid Dynamix team are pleased to reach this significant milestone and are proud to have delivered its close and in person grid support on its 250th residential project.

To find out more, you can view the full article in Housebuilder Magazine’s October issue.

We are thrilled to have recently sponsored 9-year-old racing enthusiast, Mason Becker.

Mason is a bright and talented young driver who has been showcasing exceptional flair and natural ability every time he hits the track. His passion for racing and day-by-day improvement has made him a rising star, and we are proud to be supporting him on his journey to the top.

Our sponsorship is key to getting Mason to the next level, ensuring that he receives the best coaching, testing and equipment as he continues to hone his skills and achieve his goal of becoming a Formula 1 driver.

The future of motorsport is looking bright for Mason and we are excited to see his progress as well as cheering him on every step of the way.

To follow Mason’s racing journey, you can follow him on Facebook here.

Last week, our Business Development Manager Jake Wann, completed The St. Modwen Charity Run for LandAid!

The annual charity run started and finished in Longbridge Town Centre, and comprised of 5km and 10km routes.

TriConnex sponsored a trophy for the Highest Team Sponsorship Total, and Jake presented the trophy to FPCR Environment & Design Ltd.

We are pleased to have sponsored this event for St. Modwen! Well done to everyone who took part and made this event a success!

Chris Doré, TriConnex Business Development Director, features in Housebuilder Magazine’s ‘Utilities Supplement’ September feature. Chris is interviewed by Steve Menary, discussing Grid Capacity, as well as featuring in the ‘SWOT 2024 Suppliers’ on pg36.

In his interview, Chris addresses the concerns about capacity being ‘not real’ and how instead taking advice is crucial. Chris also talks about Ofgem consulting on changes which are expected in the coming months which will create a new capacity system.

Read Chris’ full interview and insights on pg76 here.