For years, the English planning system has been a hot topic in political discussions. Founded in 1947, as a mechanism to deliver ‘social good’ and facilitate the market, it has been criticised today as the source of major urban issues, including the housing crisis and productivity decline. There is a widely shared desire for reform, but a lack of consensus on the way forward. Tensions between greater regularisation and liberalisation, between market intervention and laissez-faire, underscore this debate. Indeed, the planning system has been continuously tugged at by these competing values highlighting it as site of contestation.
This research investigates the planning system, using a values-based approach, to explore the tensions surrounding its reform, and to propose its reconceptualisation as an arena for managing a multiplicity of values. We seek to draw out the various values in planning policy and practice, determine the value-added of planning for a range of stakeholders, and explore how different values are balanced and ultimately shape planning governance in community participation, land value capture and housing delivery. In doing so, we hope to pinpoint the gaps that exist between what is desired of the planning system and what is currently in place. Through these three relevant focus areas, this project will deliver progressive policy recommendations to clarify the English planning system and reframe it to foster public interest and produce timely development.
This research will be hosting events and workshops throughout the year. Contact the project team for further information or with any questions.
Image credit: Photo by Fas Khan on Unsplash
This project is funded by the generous donation made by Richard Oram, graduate of the MSc Urban and Regional Planning Studies* (1976).
*The MSc is now named Regional and Urban Planning Studies