A former researcher for the National House 好色先生TV Council back in the 1970s, Jones prefers to think that he has never been away from the sector. 鈥淥ne of the odd things about my career is its linear quality,鈥� he asserts.
But after meeting Jones, it seems the common feature of his career 鈥� from 21-year-old councillor in his university town of St Andrews to Redrow 鈥� is that the man is oddly aroused by the planning system.
PPGs, RPGs, call-ins and planning inquiries are the stuff that get him going. Questions about planning trigger confident, mini-ministerial briefings, while discussions of other aspects of housebuilding tend to take a fast track back to his favourite subject.
How about this for dedication to the planning cause? 鈥淚f John Major had sent for me to go to social security, I鈥檇 have said no.
I鈥檇 made it clear in a number of conversations over the years that I wanted a specialist role.鈥�
At Redrow, the role of chairman will give Jones plenty of opportunity to indulge his lifelong passion. He will be providing strategic advice to chief executive Paul Pedley on sites, land use and government planning policy, with the aim of squeezing more than last year鈥檚 profit of 拢67.2m from 拢405m turnover.
Sometimes, he will even get the chance to provide more practical help. 鈥淚 find myself in a town, thinking, 鈥楾hat would be a good place to build houses鈥�. Redrow employees are well used to being asked to go and look at sites.鈥� Jones confirms that real houses have resulted from his peripatetic brainwaves, but unsportingly declines to name locations.
With planning as his touchstone, Jones, 50, seems to have made the transition from public life to the private sector more readily than some. 鈥淚t is a culture change, but not one I鈥檝e found terribly difficult. I鈥檝e never had any regrets about not being involved in politics.鈥�
He views the Redrow chairmanship as a platform for publicising his favourite subject. Explaining that until now he has tactfully held back from criticising the DETR, he now feels 鈥渃ompletely free鈥� to let the government have the full force of his opinion.
His appearance also seems to have made a transition, with the full beard trimmed back to a cleaner, more corporate version. But his decisive manner still retains the flavour of Whitehall negotiations, and he shows a politician鈥檚 skill at burnishing his own CV, Redrow鈥檚 and those of the other businesses he represents 鈥� factory outlet operator Freeport and Framlington鈥檚 NetNet investment fund (see personal effects).
In his new role, Jones will hardly be demanding root-and-branch reform of the planning system he helped shape, but will be 鈥渁rguing the housebuilders鈥� corner鈥� on the issue of planning gain agreements and affordable housing thresholds.
His point is that local authorities regard planning applications as leverage to extract not just affordable housing but contributions to education budgets and, in one unattributed anecdote, 鈥渢he money for the Christmas lights鈥�.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 understand the economics. Where basic values are lower, or even negative if the land is polluted, you have to make allowances for the cost of clean-up and not over-demand contributions.鈥�
He continues: 鈥淚 strongly suspect there will come an occasion when the whole thing is challenged in the courts鈥�, and suggests the housebuilding industry should select a suitable test case. In particular, he warns London mayor Ken Livingstone against his 50% affordable housing target for large-scale developments in the capital. 鈥淚f he鈥檚 successful, he鈥檒l stop any development happening. Even in London, it depends on the underlying value of the land.鈥�
Jones appears to recognise that any self-respecting housebuilder has to pay its respects to the design community. 鈥淒esign is hugely important. The price of density is good design,鈥� he says. But the subject soon diverts him onto the safer ground of household projection figures; he returns to design only to rule out architect-branded developments such as those Barratt has experimented with. 鈥淎llowing a free hand to an architect is not the best way to get a market solution,鈥� he argues.
He aligns himself with the pro-consolidation party in the industry, 鈥渋f it can be brought about at the right price. But a lot of people in the sector want a premium, both shareholders and company directors鈥�. He believes that housebuilding鈥檚 status as least favoured sector will soon change with a run of good results.
The 鈥渓inear quality鈥� of Jones鈥� convictions is clear in almost everything he says, and is an aspect of his personality in which he takes obvious pride. 鈥滿y officials from the days of the ministry will tell you that I took a very close interest in the detail. I haven鈥檛 changed just because I鈥檓 in the private sector,鈥� he says.
There must be some details that are different? 鈥淧lanning ministers actually make decisions, with call-ins and planning inquiries.
I do miss being that hands-on with the planning system.鈥� Now, there鈥檚 a surprise.
