ABSTRACT
This chapter sets the scene for the discussion of quality throughout the book. It explores what quality might mean on a conceptual level before examining how the concept relates to planning. The chapter briefly explores how planning systems operate generically and how the English system operates specifically. Discussion examines both how quality aspirations extend to the processes of planning inherent in the operation of a planning service, and to the outcomes that planning seeks to influence, such as the delivery of sustainable development. Finally, the position of planning within a wider set of quality processes operating in the built environment is discussed, and the roles of the wide range of stakeholders are established.
