Wright Hassall—Rebecca Mushing

Wright Hassall, based in Leamington, has named Rebecca Mushing as its new department head for planning at the firm.

Rebecca joined Wright Hassall in 2006 as a secretary, working her way up the ranks from paralegal to trainee, and qualifying as a solicitor in 2014.

Much of her pre-qualification experience was within the planning team at the firm where she developed an interest for the sector. She briefly left the firm for around two years after qualification to work in Birmingham, before retuning in 2018.

Rebecca is a specialist planning lawyer who advises on all aspects of the planning process and highway matters, acting for a wide variety of clients including local authorities, registered providers, landowners and developers.

One of her most notable achievements was assisting in the case of Fidler v Secretary of State. The case concerned Robert Fidler, who built a home without permission concealed by bales of hay in an effort to accumulate the requisite time period to be immune from enforcement.

The case led to a change in the law to ensure that if development was built without permission and was concealed, the immunity period for enforcement would not begin until it was revealed to the world.

Rebecca said: ‘I’m extremely pleased to take on the role of head of planning at Wright Hassall. I have spent the majority of my career at the firm, and this promotion demonstrates the progression opportunities available.

‘As a member of the Women in Planning committee, it’s also nice to be leading an all-female team at the firm.

‘It is a very interesting time for the planning sector, and with a new Labour government ahead of us we can expect more change on the horizon. We will wait to see whether that is positive or not for the sector and housebuilding.’

Phil Wilding, managing partner at Wright Hassall, said: ‘We are delighted to see Rebecca step into the role of head of planning at Wright Hassall.

‘She is a highly experienced planning lawyer who has spent most of her career with us, so we know that she is perfectly placed to lead the planning team and play a key role in the wider development team.’