The emergence of the spatial planning approach in England

Abstract

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Acknowledgements I am very grateful to Kim Seaton who led on the literature review of integration in planning (which will be the subject of a separate paper). The review was supplemented by interviews with key personnel involved in the planning reforms. Numerous people have read drafts of this paper and given valuable comments. I am particularly grateful to Mike Ash, Tony Baden and John Hack, all formerly with the ODPM; Leonora Rozee of the Planning Inspectorate, and Andreas Faludi of Delft University of Technology. The perceptive comments of the SPIP Expert Panel have also been helpful. Notes 1. The 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act made other reforms in England (as the title implies) and also in Wales, including the introduction of the statutory spatial plan for Wales. 2. An earlier summary of the literature review is presented on the website of the Department for Communities and Local Government (http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1143238). 3. The four countries of the United Kingdom have separate systems of planning. In England, law is made by the UK Parliament and policy by the UK Department of Communities and Local Government (formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister). In Scotland law is made by the Scottish Parliament and policy by the Scottish Executive. In Wales, the legal basis is mostly shared with England, although it is becoming more separate with distinctive sections of Acts relating specifically to Wales. Welsh planning policy is made by the Welsh Assembly Government. In Northern Ireland law is made by the UK Parliament and policy by the Northern Ireland Executive and Planning Service whilst the Northern Ireland Assembly is suspended. 4. The name of government department responsible for town and country planning in England has changed over recent years. Those referred to in this article are the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997 – 2000), The Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (2001 Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. 2001a. Planning: Delivering a Fundamental Change, London: DTLR. [Google Scholar]), the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2002 ODPM. 2002. Press Release: Planning Bill Puts Community First, London: ODPM. 4 Dec [Google Scholar] – 2006) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (2006 – on). See Cullingworth and Nadin (2006 Cullingworth, B. and Nadin, V. 2006. Town and Country Planning in the UK, London: Routledge. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], Chapter 3 and Figure 3.3, p. 45). 5. The term ‘2004 reforms’ is used here, though some important changes predated 2004 (particularly in regional planning) and others are still being implemented. 6. The Green Paper was accompanied by four daughter documents with proposals for change on procedures for dealing with major infrastructure projects, planning obligations (planning gain), compulsory purchase and the Use Classes Order (DTLR, 2001b Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. 2001b. New Parliamentary Procedures for Processing Major Infrastructure Projects, London: DTLR. [Google Scholar], 2001c Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. 2001c. Reforming Planning Obligations: A Consultation Paper, London: DTLR. [Google Scholar], 2001d Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. 2001d. Compulsory Purchase and Compensation: The Government's Proposals for Change, London: DTLR. [Google Scholar], 2001e Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. 2001e. Possible Changes to the Use Classes Order and Temporary Use Provisions, London: DTLR. [Google Scholar]). 7. These five categories have been used to structure the core research questions of the Spatial Plans in Practice project, as explained in the Inception Report (Baker Associates et al., 2006 Baker Associates, Terence O'Rourke Associates, Liverpool University, Manchester University and University of the West of England. 2006. Spatial Plans in Practice: Inception Report, London: Department for Communities and Local Government. [Google Scholar]). 8. See the article by Baker, Coaffee and Sheriff in this issue. 9. Section 39 of the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act requires those operating the planning system ‘to exercise the function with the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development’. 10. The influence of the European debate and particularly the ESDP was confirmed in interviews with civil servants at the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. 11. For example, the Department for Communities and Local Government has sponsored the creation of a new continuing professional development course in spatial planning for practising planners and others provided by the University of the West of England (see www.built-environment.uwe.ac.uk/spatialplanning/).