From New Right to New Left in UK Planning

UK planning has undergone evolutionary, significant change over the past 20 years that has impacted upon the outputs, processes, institutional contexts and roles and attitudes of planners. Yet, while there have been over two decades of 'change', the broad direction of such modifications, their future trajectory and ultimate implications, regardless of government, remain unclear. This article seeks to address the impact of change; factors that have facilitated or thwarted it; and the likely future trajectories for UK planning. It argues that the intentions of governments since 1979 have often fallen short of expectations though such expectations need to be regarded with care given the significant difference between rhetoric and action. Instead, planning has slowly been reorientated towards a new role in managing and promoting change, a role that requires new skills and knowledge on the part of planners.