Our place, our future: Dominic Richards on designing sustainable towns

In the latest episode of devcast, I sat down with Dominic Richards, Co-Founder and Chair of Our Place, to explore what it truly means to create sustainable communities in modern Britain. What unfolded was a masterclass in place-making, resilience, and the urgent need for leadership in tackling our housing crisis. 

The unlikely journey into property development 

Dominic's path into sustainable property development is far from conventional. "I sold teddy bears in the summer holidays in Australia" he told me during our conversation at his Spitalfields development. This entrepreneurial spirit eventually led him to the Prince of Wales Institute of Architecture, where he experienced what he describes as "a lightning bolt" moment, falling completely in love with sustainable place making. 

That intensive year-long course was no ordinary programme. One day he'd be removing concrete from buildings in Scottish rain, the next studying master planning for sustainable communities. "It was a renaissance school of architecture and design," Dominic reflected. His three decades as a trustee of various iterations of what's now the King's Foundation has shaped his approach, the philosophy he's now taking into the commercial sphere through Our Place. 

Beyond greenwashing: what sustainability really means 

Dominic challenged the increasingly hollow use of the word "sustainable." His perspective is refreshingly holistic: "You could build the most perfect Teletubbies houses that grew out of the earth... but if you had to get in your car to go and buy a pint of milk, I wouldn't care that your house was so sustainable." 

True sustainability requires: 

It's about "looking at sustainability in the round," rather than fixating on individual building materials. An eco-bling glass and steel town that's car-dependent isn't sustainable, regardless of how green individual buildings might be, according to Dominic. 

The Spitalfields success story 

The development we were sitting in during our conversation exemplifies Dominic's philosophy. A friend couldn't find it when visiting. "I said, can you see a yellow door and a green door and a red door? He said, yes, but that's been there forever. Job done." 

For Dominic, development isn't about ego or creating landmarks – it's about responding to what's special about an area and integrating seamlessly. Despite achieving higher density than originally permitted, Our Place faced no opposition because residents appreciated the respect shown to Spitalfields' character. 

Innovation in action: The energy partnership 

One bright spot is our new energy partnership. Through integrated solar power, battery storage, heat pumps, and smart EV charging, residents at Our Place’s Kingswood development will have zero energy bills for a minimum of 10 years. "Can you imagine what that would do psychologically for somebody?" Dominic asked.  

Building at scale and London's future 

A crucial insight was Dominic's emphasis on scale. Developments of 50 to 200 houses can't support the infrastructure that creates true communities. "We need 10-to-20-year programmes rather than three-year programmes." Without this long-term legacy view, "we are really heading to hell in a handcart." 

On London, Dominic's concern about affordability was evident. "When nurses or junior doctors or primary school teachers have to travel an hour and a half to work, it's not healthy at all." His warning is stark: "If we don't provide affordable accommodation for more and more young Londoners, we're going to become a much more boring place." 

What’s next? 

Our conversation concluded with Dominic's vision: building as many places as possible where communities can flourish. "I hope that through us showing how you can make money and do things that you're proud of... many more people will feel encouraged to do it." 

For those of us working in property development, Dominic's insights serve as both inspiration and challenge. The question isn't whether we can afford to build sustainably – it's whether we can afford not to. 

About the Contributors 

Dominic Richards is Co-Founder and Chair of Our Place, developing sustainable communities and walkable neighbourhoods rooted in local identity. 

Georgia Zambakides is Executive Director of deverellsmith, specialising in executive recruitment for the residential development sector across the UK. 

Listen to the full devcast episode to hear more insights from Dominic Richards on sustainable property development, community building, and the future of British housing.