Localism, down-scaling and the strategic dilemmas confronting planning in England

The planning system in England has been subject to dramatic shifts since 2010. The previous government's preference for a strong regional focus in land-use strategy has been substituted with an emphasis on local control and responsibility. This has involved a ‘down-scaling’ of the system, with the revocation of ‘regional spatial strategies’ and a re-emphasis of the primacy of local government plans. It has also brought a ‘localisation’ of plan-making to a neighbourhood scale and a new role for community actors within local development planning. The shift in scale and focus has been accompanied by concerns over the system's ability to achieve broader and longer-term spatial objectives. Drawing on in-depth interviews with senior planning officers, this paper reflects on the risks that reform poses to the achievement of strategic planning objectives, looking in particular at housing delivery.