Five things to watch in the West Midlands this autumn
Birmingham will be key to regional growth
Schools are going back, autumn approaches and the West Midlands is entering the home stretch of 2026.
As the final months of the year approach a combination of new investment, expanding regional powers and critical strategic planning processes are all set to reach decisive stages.
Here are five things shaping the West Midlands market over the next four months.
1. The West Midlands Growth Summit
The West Midlands Growth Summit, to be held in October, will be the principal regional investment moment of the autumn.
Last year’s inaugural Regional Investment Summit - held at Edgbaston Stadium - helped secure private-sector investment and showcased a £19 billion pipeline of regional opportunity. This year is an opportunity to demonstrate progress.
Particular attention will fall on the £3.8 billion West Midlands Futures Fund launched in May. It brings together £800 million from the West Midlands Combined Authority, a £1.1 billion commitment from the West Midlands Pension Fund and a £1.7 billion investment pipeline from Homes England, alongside the involvement of the National Wealth Fund.
That gives the region a powerful mechanism to help enable private investment by leveraging public sector capital. October could provide greater clarity on which projects will receive support, how developers and investors can access it and the level of additional funding it is expected to unlock.
There is also scope for announcements connected to the region’s four growth corridors, international partnerships, connectivity and major regeneration.
2. Party conference season may start to expose the politics of devolution
Party conference season begins with Reform UK at Birmingham’s NEC from 3–5 September. The Liberal Democrats meet in Brighton from 19–22 September, Labour gathers in Liverpool from 27–30 September and the Conservatives return to Birmingham from 4–7 October.
Devolution is likely to be one of the most important themes running through each conference - particularly Labour.
Mayors are already set to retain a greater share of locally generated business rates from April 2027 and a share of income tax from 2028. They are gaining substantial new planning powers, with the ability to use call-in powers to grant planning permission as well as introduce a levy to fund strategic infrastructure.
The policy argument is that strong regional leaders can better drive growth by unlocking additional housing, transport, skills and investment.
Politically, however, it creates a more complicated role for MPs.
Many will support devolution in principle, particularly when it brings additional funding into their constituencies. Although, they are starting to feel less comfortable that decisions previously made by ministers (and influenced by MPs) move to mayors with their own electoral mandates and increasingly visible political platforms.
The balance of power is changing.
Party conference season will provide an indication of whether MPs have truly embraced that shift or begin to push back against it. Further devolution announcements are also possible, although the detail promised at the Budget may prove more important than conference speeches.
3. The Autumn Budget could provide market stimulus
The Chancellor will deliver the Autumn Budget on 28 October. Alongside the promised fiscal-devolution roadmap, the property sector will be watching for measures intended to stimulate the market.
The first tranche of the £39bn Social and Affordable Housing Programme has been welcomed but support for the market may still be necessary. Reports have suggested the Government has been reviewing a potential successor to the Help-to-Buy scheme, although no decision has been confirmed.
A carefully designed intervention could help first-time buyers overcome affordability challenges, giving housebuilders greater confidence to start new phases. The planning system looks set to deliver more consents. This would be a way to stimulate delivery.
The wider Budget package will also be key. Infrastructure funding, more affordable housing investment, and regional infrastructure funding will all influence whether the West Midlands can convert opportunity into delivery.
4. Strategic planning will accelerate towards year end
Decisions taken this autumn will shape where tens of thousands of homes, jobs and infrastructure projects are delivered.
Authorities preparing plans under the legacy planning system have until 31 December 2026 to submit them for examination. Missing that deadline could force them into the new plan-making system and therefore substantial delay.
Several important plans are now approaching critical milestones in the West Midlands.
The South Warwickshire Local Plan Regulation 19 consultation closes on 8 September. Warwick and Stratford-on-Avon district councils will then consider the representations and prepare the plan for submission before the end of the year. Many of the proposed housing and employment allocations are intensely contested.
Birmingham’s Regulation 19 consultation runs until 24 September. The city must then move quickly towards submission. Rugby is further ahead. Its plan was submitted in April, with first-stage examination hearings beginning on 17 November and further sessions scheduled during December.
The West Midlands Spatial Development Strategy will also commence its Issues and Options consultation later this year.
The success of these process will help determine how much certainty investors, developers and communities have as they move into 2027.
5. Birmingham's Planning Committee must be recognised as an enabler of growth
The West Midlands’ success inevitably runs through Birmingham. For the city to be recognised as a global investment destination, its planning committee must therefore be an enabler of well-designed and sustainable development.
Following May’s elections and the formation of a fragmented council, there was concern that the Planning Committee could become another political battleground. Its early performance has been more encouraging than some expected.
Members have generally shown a willingness to engage with the planning merits and support development. That matters for investor confidence and begins to position the committee as an enabler of growth in the second city.
However, there is still more to do.
The August decision to reject a market-led change at Peddimore against advice showed that the Committee's pro-growth position is not yet consistent.
Being pro-growth does not mean approving every application. It means approving good development efficiently, refusing poor proposals for clear and defensible reasons and avoiding unnecessary uncertainty or delay.
By the end of 2026, the West Midlands could have more devolved power, a clearer investment pipeline and stronger strategic plans in place. That would allow the region to enter 2027 with a credible platform for growth and delivery.