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This extensively revised 14th edition of Town and Country Planning in the UK incorporates the major changes to planning introduced by the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act. It provides a critical discussion of the system of planning - the institutions involved, the plans and other instruments that are used, the procedures for controlling development and land use change, and the mechanisms for implementing policy and proposals. It reviews current policy for sustainable development, housing and the Sustainable Communities Plan, the Barker Review, urban renewal and regeneration, the renaissance of city and town centres, the countryside, transport, and the heritage. Contemporary arrangements are explained with reference to their historical development, the influence of the European Union, the Labour government and changing social and economic demands for land use change.

Detailed consideration is given to such topics as the nature of planning and its historical evolution; central, regional and local government, and the devolved administrations; the EU and its environmental and regional policies; the mechanisms of controlling development; policies for managing urban growth and delivering housing; sustainable development principles for planning; social and economic development of the countryside; planning the natural environment, waste and pollution control; conserving the heritage; the urban renaissance and regeneration; community engagement in planning; and changes to the profession and education of planners. Special attention is given to the objective of improving the co-ordination of government policies through the spatial planning approach.

The many recent changes to the system are explained in detail - the new national policy statements and plans, regional spatial strategies and local development frameworks in England and other arrangements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; new forms of land use regulation; sustainability appraisal and strategic environmental assessment; community engagement and relations between planning and community strategies; partnership working; changes to planning gain; and new initiatives in urban and housing renewal. Each chapter ends with notes on further reading and at the end of the book there are lists of official publications and an extensive bibliography, enhancing its reputation as the 'bible' of British planning.