ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the shifting notions of performance and quality in planning, and their respective measures in England since the 1960s. It begins with a review of the issue that has dominated government and industry views of performance in planning, the question of speed. A history of how performance measurement has evolved is then provided-focusing in the main on how performance indicators at the national level have been used, and continue to be used as the driving force managing the performance of the planning system. The account ranges through the early attempts to develop national indicators, through the Citizen’s Charter years and on to Best Value and Comprehensive Performance Assessment. The role of the Audit Commission throughout this period is also explored, including the more recent inspection regimes, before the account is brought up to date with a exploration of the changing scene following the 2001 Planning Green Paper. Through tracing the history of national planning performance measurement, the discussion illustrates both a failure to learn lessons inherent in the continued repetition of distorting behaviour, and also the continued failure to take a holistic view of planning.
