Planning, gas pipelines and community safety: What is the role for local planning authorities in managing risk in the neoliberal era?

Abstract

Urban development of land in historically rural areas which contain high-pressure gas pipelines increases risks to public safety. Pipeline organisations identify local planning authorities as key stakeholders in planning to mitigate risks posed by land use changes. However, neoliberal reforms that have both privatised pipelines and centralised strategic planning decisions have reduced the decision-making power of planners at a local level. This places local planning authorities in an ambiguous position to consider and manage pipeline risk in their professional practice. The paper draws on findings from interviews with stakeholders involved with urban planning and high-pressure gas pipelines, including local planners, in two case study sites in Australia to highlight the impacts of neoliberal planning reforms on the professional practices of planners in managing risks to community safety from gas pipelines. Other researchers have argued that neoliberalism poses problems for the planning profession. Land use planning around high-pressure gas pipelines offers a valuable case study to demonstrate this. This research provides an important contribution to this existing body of research by exploring the effects of neoliberalism through investigation into the lived experiences of planners, showing that these developing trends impact representation of community interests in planning decisions and also public safety.