ABSTRACT
Whilst attempting to pay attention to the important theory-practice gap, most recent theories of collaborative planning lack fine-grained analysis of what actually takes place and how arguments become convincing in deliberative dialogue. Moreover, collaborative planning theories tend to focus on the coordinating role of planning officers in attempting to achieve some form of consensus, eliding the vital gap between officers’ recommendations and elected members’ decisions – the gap between the authority of professional planners and the politics of public authorities. It is this gap on which I concentrate.
