ABSTRACT
The promotion of public participation is one of three broad ideologies in British planning, alongside the protection of property rights and the advancement of public interest. Historically, conflict between these competing ideologies has left public participation the loser, although successive governments have attempted to provide more opportunities for formal and informal public involvement in the planning process. The Thatcherite years saw calls for increased participation underpinned by an ideology of consumerism and increased efficiency in service delivery, coupled with a desire to limit the constraints that planning placed on market-driven activities. Since the election of a Labour government in 1997, successive Blair governments have linked greater participation in public affairs with a devolutionary agenda and a desire to achieve greater accountability in the conduct of public services. At the same time, however, they have continued to laud the benefits of public-private partnerships, championed by previous Thatcherite governments in recognition that the capacity to get things done does not rest solely on the power of government authority. One consequence of this now well-established move from government to governance has been the blurring of the boundary between the public and the private, as non-state actors become intimately involved inside the policy process, including the process of land use and spatial planning (Stoker 1999a, b; Murdoch and Abram 2002). In theory, this shift to working in partnerships offers more opportunities for different organisations and members of the public to participate actively in the planning process. However, it is unclear how power and influence are exercised in these arrangements and whether ordinary members of the public can influence decision-making.
