At a recent property event, heavyweights Tony Pidgley and Gerald Ronson shared a stage.

It didn't take long before the thorny subject of planning came up. Berkeley Homes boss Pidgley bemoaned a process he said overlooked the fact real human beings were involved.

He continued: "I was in Disneyland with my three-year old daughter and came across someone who'd been on the opposite side of the table at a recent planning meeting. I had my daughter with me so for the first time she could see my human side."

So, the moderator began, the answer was to take your three-year old daughter to planning meetings?

Ronson jumped in: "Or hold your planning meetings in Disneyland."

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