ABSTRACT
The right of the public to have a direct say in planning matters and the inherently political nature of planning are now taken for granted. The formal machinery for objections and appeals, initially devised only for specified uses by a restricted range of interests, is now employed much more widely. Many informal mechanisms have been created by planning authorities and others to improve the capacity of, and opportunity for, local communities and interest groups to play a part or the lead in formulating and implementing planning policy. Even so, many questions remain about the effectiveness of public participation, whose interests are served by planning, and the relationship between professional and political decisions. The first part of this chapter explains the history of public participation in planning, the nature of ‘interests’ and the mechanisms that enable them to influence the planning process. The second part then considers the professionalisation of planning and the relationship between the profession, politicians and the public.
