Planning in transition: The new NPPF, appeal decisions and the political landscape

3 Nov 2026

Tuesday 3 November | 8am - 10:30am | Weightmans, 103 Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 3AG

With party conference season now behind us and planning reform high on the political agenda, we are delighted to join with DevComms to invite you to this breakfast seminar exploring the political outlook for planning and, as the first appeal decisions featuring the new NPPF start to trickle through, the likely effects of recent reforms.

Who will be joining us

Jack Boyce, Head of Midlands & North, DevComms

Discussion title: The shifting political landscape: Party positions and planning risk

Jack has ten years of experience developing campaign strategies and providing engagement advice: five years in consultancy and five in Party and Parliamentary politics. He has extensive experience delivering stakeholder and community engagement strategies across a range of sectors, particularly for strategic site promotion and pre-application consultation. He is still actively involved in politics in the Midlands and the North West and has an extensive political network.

Philip Robson, Counsel, Kings Chambers

Discussion title: The new NPPF and early appeal decisions

Philip Robson has a broad planning and environmental practice. He acts for developers and local authorities throughout the country, at all stages of the process – preparation of applications, local plan examination, injunctions, prosecutions, inquiries and High Court appeals. This has included residential schemes, compulsory purchase orders and on a number of high proﬁle and large-scale developments. He has been consistently ranked as one of the top rated planning juniors in the country.

Hosted by

John Gregory, Partner, Weightmans

John is a specialist planning lawyer with extensive experience of providing commercial and practical planning and highways advice to developers, promoters, landowners, and local planning authorities. He has particular expertise in relation to drafting and negotiating complex Section 106 Agreements; advising on Community Infrastructure Levy; and contentious planning matters, including Judicial Review, Section 288 challenges; Appeals and planning enforcement.

John began his career in local government and led the Planning & Litigation Team at Warwickshire County Council before moving into private practice in 2017, where he headed up the planning team at a Midlands law firm, before joining Weightmans in 2024.

Rebecca Mushing, Legal Director, Weightmans

Rebecca is a specialist planning lawyer who provides advice on all areas of planning, highways and compulsory purchase. She has acted for a diverse portfolio of clients including developers, registered providers, universities, local authorities, institutional investors, and landowners to help projects move forward with confidence through an often-complex planning system.

Her experience includes residential and mixed-use developments, commercial schemes, and infrastructure projects. She regularly negotiates Section 106 agreements and other infrastructure and planning agreements, as well as advising on certificates of lawfulness, community infrastructure levy appeals, enforcement issues, compulsory purchase, appeals and judicial review.