It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Shruti Trivedi, managing director of property and planning law firm and strategic planning advisors Devello.
The latest Budget has set the tone for what I believe will be another challenging year for the planning and development sector across the East Midlands and wider. While the headline focus has been on the targeted tax incentives and infrastructure spending, the deeper implications for the built environment should unfold throughout 2026.
The East Midlands will receive a boost from initiatives like Team Derby, with £2 billion in transport funding and £100 million Local Growth allocation, while in the West Midlands the new £900 million Local Growth Fund will accelerate infrastructure like the Midlands Rail Hub.
Whilst these policies are expected help unlock further commercial and residential development, ultimately I expect delivery to remain constrained by the planning system and the wider economy.
The Government has renewed commitment to delivery through additional funding for local authority planning departments, providing £48 million over three years to recruit 350 planners and to establish a “Planning Careers Hub.” However, with skills shortages still lingering, I expect the bottlenecks that have constrained development to be slow to shift and delivery to remain uneven. Schemes will need to be well thought out with strong viability credentials.
Overall, in 2026 planners and developers will have to adapt quickly to policy shifts, embrace more collaborative pre-application work and lean into the rising importance of sustainable place-making. While the year ahead may not deliver instant acceleration, it could lay the foundations for a more resilient and responsive planning landscape.
