The Remodeling of Decision Making on Major Infrastructure in Britain

The UK government passed the 2008 Planning Act in order to reform the process for decisions on major infrastructure projects. Previously, this had been dealt with under the main town and country planning system, with the use of public inquiries, alongside sectoral consenting procedures. Here, the re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Planning, practice & research practice & research, 2013-02, Vol.28 (1), p.122-140
Main Author: Marshall, Tim
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Decision making
England
Government
Legislation
Planning systems
Political economy
Public infrastructure
Scotland
United Kingdom
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Summary:The UK government passed the 2008 Planning Act in order to reform the process for decisions on major infrastructure projects. Previously, this had been dealt with under the main town and country planning system, with the use of public inquiries, alongside sectoral consenting procedures. Here, the reasons for this legislation are explored, including revisions made by the Localism Act 2011, embedding this within an understanding of the broadly business friendly drives of all UK governments in recent years. Detailed assessment is made of the two main instruments used in England: national policy statements (NPSs) and the Infrastructure Planning Commission/National Infrastructure Directorate. This suggests that detailed implementation has generated certain contradictory or unexpected effects. A comparison is made with a very different approach in Scotland. An assessment is made of the significance of the law, given the political economic realities in which the new system's early life will be evolving.
ISSN:0269-7459
1360-0583
DOI:10.1080/02697459.2012.699255