Next Steps in Regional Planning

Abstract

THE purpose of this paper is to discuss various ways in which regional policy, and in particular regional planning, might be further developed. Interest in this subject has grown to a remarkable extent in the last few years as the problems associated with regional economic imbalance have become more acute. Some regions have suffered increasing unemployment and their levels of income and rates of economic growth have lagged further and further behind the national average; other regions notably the South-East have suffered increasing congestion which incurs high social costs and imposes a variety of physical and economic problems. Increasingly it is felt that this regional imbalance may be an important factor in preventing the attainment of a satisfactory rate of national economic growth: the main drive for expansion is confined to those parts of the country where resources are already fully employed and inflationary pressures are a constant danger; while other regions which have spare resources and a considerable capacity for growth lack the impetus. That all these problems are associated and interconnected now seems to be increasingly recognized. This article makes no attempt to argue the case for regional development; this very important subject has been dealt with elsewhere, and there is no space for its inclusion here.' Instead attention is focused on the problems of planning such development. The first section reviews the existing White Papers and regional studies on Central Scotland, North-East England and South-East England, while the remainder of the paper discusses how this type of work may be developed and improved.2 The second part of the paper directs attention in particular to three major issues on which Government statements have so far been particularly vague: (i) the definition of a region for purposes of regional economic planning; (ii) the problem of co-ordinating regional economic proposals both with each other and with national economic plans and policies; (iii) the problems involved in preparing a regional programme with particular emphasis on improved