ABSTRACT

This chapter assesses whether there has been a distinctly Thatcherite approach to planning during the 1980s. It aims to establish the extent to which any Thatcherite objectives for planning were achieved and to evaluate the success of the policies. The chapter presents an analysis of the work of the critics of planning which translated Thatcherite theory into changes to land use planning. Apart from the wide ranging criticism of the principles and practice of post war planning all the works have one common feature - there is universal recognition that some form of land use control is necessary. Both Enterprise Zones and Simplified Planning Zones can be imposed on local authorities by the government. The origin and practice of simplified planning regimes have seen a definite shift towards a market based approach including removing decision making from the local arena, putting forward schemes based on developers' interpretations of local markets and allowing a number of uses on the same site.