PLANNING! Is This Why The Country Is On It's Knees?? 🤯

[@Booka3141]

If Clarkson's Farm has achieved anything is highlighting the plight of uk farmers and how shitty local councils can be!

[@Whateverpoopiepants]

Except he was lying about all of that and has admitted it.

[@karlkiernan6863]

Unless you are a big house builder then it all good as big bags of cash are involved. Just see the story on Broxbourne Council and all the staff they sacked due to taking back handers. Shower of shit we have to deal with.

[@williamoakes664]

Well said…b#stards…..jobs for the boys and anyone else can fight for years to the point of destruction or failure

[@AI-Records24]

Exactly. Who do they think they are? And why do they think they “own” land, they effing don’t, it’s OURS as citizens, we need to take our country back.

[@garyhowe88]

Clarksons farm is a give and take, they royally took the piss too start with, which doesn't always help 😂 generally round by me anything goes 😂

[@jackcullen2904]

Please document this, even if it is on a separate channel, it’ll be really interesting and a good follow! Good luck with everything guys

[@14dh8rs6]

Truly shows how criminal everything has become. They want it to be impossible for smaller companys/start up's to actually make it happen.

[@dandan556]

Liked the rant at the end, nice to see more people waking up to what's really going off in the world 👏

[@barfmeister8509]

Couldn’t agree more! We get shafted at every turn

[@alancutchey9892]

When it comes to local councils and planning permission, it’s all about WHO u know and brown envelope’s under the table..

[@orestogams]

I used to work in a government in europe and they 100% know what theyre doing. Someone high up just dislikes what youre doing or you personally and thats why its so hard. They could fix all of this tomorrow if they wanted to or someone would tell them to. Without forcing them I dont think theres many options.

[@RJPhotographics]

I'm just back from Slovenia. Could not believe the high quality and finish of everything over there. Building/planning costs are ABSURDLY inhibitive in the UK. Half million £ houses with wafer thin doors and floors made of waste and scrap wood over here. Sucks.

[@MikeUnity]

It's a joke. Council houses from 100 years ago are better built than new builds

[@karlsanderson8127]

I've in construction for little over 20yrs now can say new build houses are crap a 3 bed house in a new housing estate would cost the developers around £40k to build and then sell it for £180k plus

[@mikephelan563]

I've being working on a housing estate here in NZ, Houses designed for first time buyers, very limited parking and estimated life span of 50 years, not really an investment.

[@williamoakes664]

Ryan thanks so much for making this video…..from someone now almost 4 years from buying an almost derelict building (tree growing out the roof) and converting it to a family house….18 months getting planning (even though it’s a conversion and furthermore retains the existing building (plus extension to the rear in a very shrunken and sympathetic manner) 9 months building and now fighting for a mortgage I reckon the first £30k before sticking a spade in the ground….then the first builder scalped us buy charging ahead of progress before I finally got rid (once I could find someone else take on his misdoings) and then got screwed by roofers….oh god I’m going to write a book it just goes on and on and on. Worst bit is the final hurdle that happened in the last couple of weeks, the mortgage assessor came out to complete the final valuation (we had a mortgage agreed in principle with NatWest….transpires to be owned by Santander) smiled applauded the build left and then wrote and email to state ‘due to the proximity of the property to a hotel we can no longer lend on the property atall) It’s next to ‘nidd hall’ and used to be the power supply to the stately home before it became a hotel…..it hasn’t leapfrogged there since we started the build !!!!!….and between them and the Bridging loan company and the council they just have forced us to pay for circa 10 surveys that have examined the far end of fart regards the building credentials and location.🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ Guess what we couldn’t pay off our bringing loan on time as we now need to find another company to mortgage the property (not a 5 minute task that takes most companies 5 weeks to complete), in that time between re-set up fee and ultimately an extension for the bridging loan we have do pay them an extra…….£9600!!!!….and that’s if the new mortgage pulls down in 4 weeks…go over that and they’ll have a few thousand more and so and so on. Never build a house is my advise, save your life and buy someone else’s hard work Sorry for situation but furthermore Ryan, massive thanks for highlighting the abuse local authorities adorn on the normal man just trying to take that extra stride in life. I think they view (as do a lot of tradesman I might add) that anyone in such a position to build a house or any other building for that matter clearly is rich and has a bottomless pit of cash at their disposal….. The big boys must be brown enveloping or simply have a great team around them to fight the authorities back (as we see all too often the big corporations get breaks in places everyone else deems impossible, natural habit destruction or traffic and highway impacts to shop or factory local ok etc. Sadly just makes me think there must be brown envelopes involved somewhere I said I was going to write a book on it, I didn’t plan to put it all in a KZbin comment but like you Ryan I’ve became that guy in the background who’s getting angrier and grumpier and more stressed by the day……if I had a pound for everyone that said ‘it’ll be worth it when it’s done” ….i could pay for the next 4 weeks interest on the bridging loan!!! Good luck my friend, I share your pain and synthase massively Will

[@williamoakes664]

Sorry for all the spelling mistakes….i think you catch my drift (from an unedited rant /attempt to summarise my similar predicament )🙏

[@DarksideDevelopments]

Common story I think! Sorry to hear!

[@thewaywardgrape3838]

In my home town, there was 1 man who owned virtually - not exagerating - all the 'waste land' around the town. When one of the 'big four' approached him for the some land, he had the council bent over a barrel. The man's family is linked to local government....guess who got the contract for the land to be readied for building, whilst also getting a preferential deal on the land lease etc....The man bullied the council to force the only primary school left, to sell some land, so as he can squeeze 4 tiny houses onto the land.

[@GeorgeAusters]

Definitely document the entire development!

[@endrekalvenes8460]

This sickness is everywhere now! Here in Norway as well and if you want to do the smallest thing yourself in your own house you need a permit for this and that. Even if you wanted to change an electric outlet you need a sertified company to do that, but any one could change the brakes on their own car or even a bus/lorry without any permit... I wonder witch one has the highest potential for causing serious damage especially when it comes to a bus or lorry...

[@mattkinsella9856]

I have been saying for nearly 20 years that red tape and planning was the biggest issue for housing and economic development in the UK. Huge coporations can afford to spend a fortune on lawyers, planning consultants, surveyors and land agents. They can also afford to buy and sit on land for years while the wheels churn slowly. There was a time in the 70s when councils in rural areas would PAY businesses to move and build there to help with employment and raise their business rates income. During similar times a man could buy a little bit of land and build his own home on it. We are very, very far away from those times now and we far worse off for it.

[@dalesmit7869]

Best of luck Ryan, Scott and Darkside team. Those figures seem through the roof to get stuff done. But you know what?, You have already made the choice. It is going to happen. I for one am looking forward to the development. Onwards!

[@crowther995]

Scott, ryan, if you need or want project managers and/or quantity surveyors involved, get in touch. We've spent the last couple of years doing commercial units round Lancashire & Manchester.

[@robc5955]

I work in the technical side of the house building industry, but on the outskirts mostly the when it’s gone wrong area - it baffles me how anything gets built, but it is a money game and half of it is absolute bobbins. Good luck, you’re going to need it - it’ll be worth it one day.

[@Chilled_Mackers]

Ideal stuff for a V2 channel, it would be great to see the process and how you manage the hurdles. If you have to plan roadways etc - add roundabouts and fill them with trees! Stick a tree in everywhere you can. Then you could say "I've planted 20-30 native trees - where there were none!"

[@thetruth7633]

Good job mate, far better investment than stocks at the moment, make the units modular so customers can have multiple units and open up the walls easily. I know one thing about councils and local governments, they get off if you incorporate some ecological stuff, like vegetation roofs, a pond for newts 😂, flower beds for butterflies. Trust me it works, I also had a discussion with them but when I showed them my plans the permits were quickly done!

[@colinjohnson-qy7zz]

Really interesting video, this whole country is definitely a shambles regarding businesses buying land, to provide jobs etc for the area. Well done for pursuing it this far, and would deffo watch more of this kind of content.

[@ldarm]

Good luck, those costs seem insanity; honest folk like you lot will always have to walk uphill. God speed 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

[@ohnoitisnt]

Thanks a ton for sharing. No wonder land with planning sells for 10x than land without I have a small callout equipment repair buisness and quietly run the circus from shipping containers in a field, inc office. I dont ever plan to involve council planners in my land projects. Luckliy we are friendly with my neighbours (the AM and PM van rush doesnt bother them) so low risk of complaints etc I dont have someones yearly wage sat about for compliance, and if i did id spend it on preps!

[@marcb5328]

Onwards and Upwards all good stuff hats off Ryan Scott

[@Boatlife1964]

Everybody wants a cut of your hard earned money.. the council should sell the land with all the surveys and permissions included!… obviously that’ll never be the case.. no wonder the country is on its knees… Red tape…. After red tape… The council needs people like you and Scott to improve the local area and provide prosperity to people around you.. it’s the old boy network.. funding goes to big corporations… money is syphoned off and disappeared… grants get given at a price!! You guys deserve all the help you can get..

[@davechambers5990]

Love the workshop content. Would enjoy this even more, please document and share 👍🏻

[@phillmcaverty]

Wow. It beggars belief the amounts of money involved as well as risk to yourself. Good luck with everything 👍

[@youtybebw]

I've been through this, extremely frustrating, like walking through mud and partying for the pleasure. More and more regulations every year and the people who implement them have no incentive to be promp or efficient, they still get their pay check at the end of the week.

[@thewaywardgrape3838]

I work in the heavy plant industry. The amount of 'brown envelopes' passed between the government and privately owned companies, is outrageous. HS2 was a massive transfer of wealth imo. The idea that such a small project could cost £60+ Billion is absolutely worth scrutinising!

[@darkvuden]

I’ve just been through a similar situation. I spent 2022 and 2023 getting change of use on an agricultural site I own to commercial. I got it in the end but it was a long process and cost way more than I ever thought. It was my first time doing anything like that. I had to do most of the surveys you’re needing. I found a few companies not local who were like half the price of local companies my planning consultant recommended. I’ve got my Amarok booked in with you next week so if you want me to pass on any contacts I used I’d be happy to

[@RTC057]

Really interesting to hear about your plans and it being all very real rather than the toxic positivity BS that with have to swallow these days from councils and government. Thanks for sharing.

[@craigbeesley9601]

Definitely interested to see this journey

[@keithryan9314]

This is just the way is becoming heartbreaking stuff. I wish ye the absolute best. I have been watching ye lads for so long. Ye have been and continue to be very open we really appreciate it 👍🏻

[@iainarthur7713]

IIRC the cost of planning alone for a tunnel under the Thames was 1/4 of a billion...

[@MummaBear]

It will be interesting to see this moving forward 👍 good luck 🤞

[@ChrisEarle-q7p]

Excellent video Ryan, how did we ever get to this? I admire you for taking it on! I'd be going for the stocks & share purchase option I think!! Good luck & keep us up to date!

[@chrishuddlestone9262]

Ryan and Scott - you are super stars! Well done for sticking with it and proving that with your hard work you’ll make the system work for you. I can’t wait to see videos of this project. Ps buy a couple of bitcoin as well. All the best.

[@martinbarnes5613]

Timelapse videos of buildings going up can be interesting viewing. I’ll asked about and see if any of my contacts are able to help you out.

[@Own-ItUKApparel]

Twice I've deal't with the council involving land and property. NEVER AGAIN!!

[@keithryan9314]

Well Ryan we commend you for sharing 👍🏻

[@BagofRust]

Best advice I would always give, get the local council planner out immediately. Then from there use the councils contacts, the councils recommended architects and planners. Then everything runs smooth because there all in the loop of communication,

[@DarksideDevelopments]

The dont advise who to use ever

[@BagofRust]

@@DarksideDevelopments Call the Local Council and ask for there Building Regulations Officer and Planning Team to Come and have a meeting at Darkside Developments. They will give you all the Contact information you need to get the ball Rolling. It's in the Councils best interest to have a building on that land. It's another Business they can charge Business Rates, Council Tax, Local Employment, Job Creation. Also Ask the Council what they need, it could be they want a small Recycle centre there or some other facilities that you could rent back to the council perhaps even storage for there vehicles. Maybe offer a service for the council vehicles to be repaired at trade rates. Take all options, discuss all avenues, I promise, you will find the right people within the Council that will point you in the right direction.

[@GeorgeAusters]

Just a bit more than the planning application for the garage in my garden then!

[@DarksideDevelopments]

Only just!

[@ryanp6138]

Haha, KZbin tax

[@alexmartinmap]

Keep it coming please.

[@dannbaker]

I would love to see more on this. On this channel or another, I don't mind. But very interesting and well explained

[@alancobbin]

Sounds like a good investment opportunity,sadly the UK is dangerously close to the point of no return,it’s not a country I wanna retire in now unless I can help it,cheers guys exciting times ahead👍💪😉

[@Beansswtf]

Darkside Property Developments, sounds good to me. Keep the videos of it all coming haha!

[@andyhunt457]

Definitely want to see more of this it's interesting and entertaining. Good presenter helps obvs 🎉

[@laurencefalconer5242]

Really good insight into "trying" something in the UK. Love vehicles mainly but thanks and keep us all informed and entertained 👍

[@sammy_bw]

What a nightmare didn’t realise all this was involved. I’ve built a few units in wetherby just about to start the next phase(brick/blockwork) be interesting to see the the results. But if you end up needing a substation by approved contractor (freedom group) or a price for the brick/block work on the units if needed I’ll keep an eye out on the socials 👍

[@DarksideDevelopments]

Drop us an email :)

[@danielday1985]

Fair play lads, well done and good luck with the future

[@andyhunt457]

Sounds about right to be fair.....😂.I remember the hoops we went through to renovate some barns..... headbanging stuff

[@zeroyon4562]

Wow. Seems councils are the same the world over. Every bastard clipping the ticket. Would enjoy seeing the progress.

[@a.fellow7773]

Well done for making this video

[@alexworz4135]

Document it, please! As bricky I find this interesting

[@davyarthurs]

‘Its knees’. Yep, it’s me again 😂. Wish you best of luck getting this finally sorted so you can progress.

[@armandvanrooyen7574]

Absolutely LOVED the rants at the end there Ryan, I totally agree with all those comments, makes no sense at all!😂 But that being said, congrats and all the best, hope it all works out well for you guys!💪

[@kevinm5895]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing!

[@adamwebb84]

Love this content as well as the car related content, you guys are smashing it well done, and you clearly have good business sense and clear vision, I hope it all goes well and look forward to seeing more updates, was shocked to see some of the fee’s was a good insight but worth the investment, good luck 👍

[@hughgarsehotmail]

Good luck and always love to see more videos

[@davidclegram5733]

Definitely more videos of the build process. Councils are out for money for old rope . But that’s the way of the world. Love the content keep up your hard work

[@finlaybichan1275]

and yet they are still going bankrupt left right and centre!!

[@davetalton9169]

Good luck lads!

[@Kenny-Somafunk]

A mate up here in galloway sold up his farm along with 1500 acres of land as he had been attempting for the previous 5 years to develop 300 acres of poor land into much needed small industrial units for local businesses but eventually he gave up, total waste of £130,00 that he spent on trying to get it through. He decided fu*k-it and sold up everything to move to Portugal. Good luck with your venture but unless you've got bribes for local councillors/politicians then I don't fancy your chances competing with the corrupt system.

[@DarksideDevelopments]

Not the first time we hear this sort of stuff!

[@woodyr5gt113]

All the best guys ❤ keep it coming

[@paulwkempster]

Cracking video and 10/10 rant!! When buying land like this prior to planning being in place, what, if any guarantees are you getting that planning will be approved? Or is it a massive risk?

[@DarksideDevelopments]

All the risk is on the buyer, Chicken and Egg!

[@jonathansowter831]

Definitely content for a second Channel as this would be interesting to follow. I vote for the channel to be called DBD (Darkside Building Developments) Or Ryte then units

[@adrianmeredith6818]

Great informative video good to see the otherside of Darkside and would be good to see progress....

[@matteightytwo]

The planning delays we're experiencing at work can only be due to this "work from home" culture. Stages that would take a few weeks is currently taking six months

[@chemicaljuice3078]

agreed

[@chrisupton2212]

It's FA to do with working from home and all to do with sustained (Tory Austerity) budget cuts to the point where all Local Authorities are on the brink of bankruptcy. Most if not all Planning departments across the country barely function due to a lack of staff and resources.

[@DarksideDevelopments]

They have plenty of staff, just a work ethic issue from the top down

[@davidlowe3854]

More videos on the progress!

[@gilescboy]

That final rant went off 😂

[@martinknight510]

Build a off road track with free days for 2 strokes with fmf exhausts they might soon let you build or even better let a few dozen driveway specialists set up camp thatll get the planning through a but quicker 👍

[@markscott7467]

It’s total madness, no wonder nothing happens because they make it so hard. Really hope you get sorted and these bloody idiots get held to account at the councils.

[@the1beard]

the UK is a catastrophe for progress .. I'm retiring now it was easy not now it is complex for zero benefits to property owners It has become a gravy train for jobs .. Yes the UK is £UCKED Mental ... totally Mental

[@simonward9224]

Highly recommend Seven Architecture based in Harrogate. Nice, decent people, call a spade a spade

[@alanjackson2540]

Womersley Road in Knottingley there's a new housing estate. Some of the residents on the main road (opposite the graveyard) put in objections to the building of the new estate with one of the reasons stating there was great crested newts on the land. The council said fuck the newts and allowed planning.

[@3dcarbonuk243]

Look into the degrowth economy, our economy is being reduced intentionally, and small to medium sized businesses are the target! Good luck mate

[@NENTECHM57]

Im glad you have made this video, it just shows how much government rips off working people in favour of big cooperations. It just shows how difficult it is to grow a business, the amount of things you need to pay just to get to start of building the units is huge. And no it’s not conspiracy theories, it is real. Uk is a country that milks dry all its workforce carelessly, and big corporations that have fingers stuck in government can do what they like. After all , London office workers have to have their wages paid somehow( for imaginary made up jobs that) that supposedly help future generations, but they just kill all middle class in favour of elite.

[@BRMCaptChaos]

It’s not what you know, it’s who (and what they want). Honest folk like yourself?

[@mapyn131]

of you are encountering unusual resistance from environmentally motivated depts had you considered showing the expansion under a different company name and suitable sic?

[@ap6584]

Brightside eco tuning

[@mapyn131]

e.g. a construction business or logistics business might be prioritised for local grants, where an auto parts business may not

[@DarksideDevelopments]

You'd have thought that, but it's under RSP Properties so

[@davehughes6501]

Benedict fowler (youtuber) wanted to build a fishing pond (fowler fisheries) the planning process & surverys were a joke just for a pond.

[@modermonkula]

Should build an small oil refinery, Darkside special blend of diesel

[@Jonnyxs]

Good lad 👊🏼

[@jonty4664]

All good 👍🏻

[@daysofgrace2934]

My dad used to own/run Pakistani restaurants, he always used to say councils are the English Mafia...

[@shanehornby1693]

You need to wine and dine the local councillor, like these big companies do!

[@newagetemplar6100]

I’m quite happy to listen to a justified rant . Your opinion is bang on the money. Unfortunately Nothing makes financial sense these days due to jobsworths and political BS . Anything that involves pride , passion , any form of practical skill in fact anything physical seems to be fcuked . I admire you for wanting to create jobs to local people with the units and appreciate how hard it is . Personally I’ve been in a family business and self employed in the 80’s and 90’s fairly local to yourself, would I do it again? NO CHANCE . I can’t be doing with the hassle so stick to doing everything myself and winging it . Just be aware the ESG crap is just around the corner and I have a funny feeling any physical product sold will have to have its carbon footprint logged and anything manufactured needs a carbon footprint record . Just watch out for the small print in the finance as many , including homeowners will fall foul of clauses with ESG and insurance enabling the finance company/ underwriter to repossess the property . Grants you were referring to are a scam too , I looked into one years ago and found the private company you applied for the grant to got 30% !!! WTF . PS I have a guy from Doncaster that does Arial Drone surveys if it helps . Best of luck mate I did the bitcoin thing instead and build cars from home .😵‍💫

[@ScottPC]

I'm a civil engineer (drainage and roads) and honestly planners are the bain of my life!! Its awful!! Makes me want to switch careers.

[@jameshallen007]

WEF!!!

[@LawrenceTimme]

Crazy money involved, all that money will have to be passed on to the businesses renting them.

[@AndyG385]

100% the councils won't pay a third of what its costing you to build whatever they want. By us they keep throwing up multistory car parks for the town centre that nobody uses because theres no shops because the rent and rates are too much for a business to make a quid. Then theres all the tax and shit we have to pay for less and less services. Place is like a 3rd world country but then again when the chap running the show is from a 3rd world country himself he probably thinks that its not too bad. Work all your life to try and get on but get taxed at every opportunity then if you've done well for yourself and have plenty to leave for your kids they then get taxed again for inheritting all the money you've already been taxed on its comical. Hard to make good money in this day and age without loopholes and tax dodges that only seem to be available for MPs.

[@marklawson4694]

Shame i could only give 1 thumb up for this comment 100% agree with you

[@BionicRusty]

If you need to get around planning laws, buy a caravan and just do it anyway.

[@AI-Records24]

Noise assessment £1640 Air quality assessment £1780+£1500 I’m in the wrong business. Don’t get me started on local councils they are pure e v i l s c u m who need to be reminded that they work for and on behalf of us not against us as they all currently do. Look at the state of the roads now compared to even 5 years ago, yet LTNs go up, speed bumps go up, millions wasted on signage and artist bolllllllocks and that’s just scratching the surface. In my opinion we need to r e v o l t tear down councils, parliament, the lot and start again because the only people it works for are the people within.

[@martynhill9583]

Enjoyed the rant , and the comment about agenda 2030, if you know you know, wish you luck with prosperity on your future venture

[@demelitia]

This sort of thing is a symptom of the problems with councils. They have no real oversight, no one pulling them up on the appalling value for money they provide and no desire to do anything but make sure they have enough money for the Christmas do and next years pay rises. Every single council worker I’ve had to deal with has been too secure in their own position to be anything other than aggressively lazy.

[@chrisupton2212]

If only there was oversight and accountability for councils. You'd have thought someone, somewhere would have had cause to complain about their lavish Christmas celebrations that they all enjoy, every year and "aggressive laziness"... Speaking of which, let me google that for you: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/local-government-ombudsman#:~:text=The%20Local%20Government%20and%20Social,homes%20and%20home%20care%20providers).

[@ryanp6138]

​@@chrisupton2212like the IPCC, investigation into themselves, outcome = more wasted money.

[@dodgywheelsandropeywiring5697]

Yes

[@LawlessAuto]

I really hope this speeds up and becomes more of a reality for yourselves because it’s no surprise that people/buisnesses don’t bother developing new industrial sites if that’s half the bother you get when trying to better this country. This country needs more people like you to boost our local economies and to push the locals and like minded people to kick off their own businesses and help recreate the industrial hub that once was the UK! Creating jobs, creating good quality facilities, don’t give up with them I’m sure you won’t but once this is all done and dusted and they’re still wanting money off you out of thin air just laugh and think of the good you’ve done for the local economy! I’ve been looking for a small sized industrial property for years in my local area now and it’s just not possible, there are simply none available.. get the moss dug up and stuck ont roof of the units, be reyt!

[@DarksideDevelopments]

:)

[@SALSimon89]

Interested in a unit depending on costings when they’re done

[@andyhunt457]

You should deffo do a time lapse of the build

[@kilner79]

have a word with wordsworth excavations we do stuff like this all the time we did the big job at hoyland for hermes and they might have some companys to put you i contact with that can do everything you need

[@chemicaljuice3078]

subscriber investment/shareholders? scatter ponds around the outside, fed by roof and surface runoff, planting extra trees and habitat creation , and they still won't be happy

[@SuperRoverboy]

Not gunna lie, gutted it's not a pay and play site like Rothwell was 😂 (shame it's closed now) but this is genuinely epic. All the best lads

[@BourbonISvegan]

Ultra load bearing roof, put solar panels & plants on it.

[@HadiTuppa]

It’s absolutely ridiculous what the council expect people to pay but this is another way how they make money or better stated…money thrown into their pot.….everyone must have their piece of the pie. It’s easy for them to throw figures around when they ultimately are in control and they don’t have to operate like a private profit making business ie. none of their personal pockets are accountable or liable. You need a “friend” in the council I’d recommend 😉 Good luck to you guys anyway…your entrepreneurial talents are the total opposite of what “they” are and believe me….they’ll be jelous to death!

[@rickyperks3895]

Pay and play 4x4 course 😂 once dig out starts

[@johntelford9862]

im sure you already know but cant prove is, the reason why the likes of marshalls get funding is because a big huge brown envelope goes to the top councillor and/or mp for the area to approve planning. it goes on all the time but its the proving it