ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the development of the idea from its inception as part of the Enterprise Zone (EZ) to its evolution in Simplified Planning Zones (SPZs). It explores the degree to which these ideas reflect the ideological principles of Thatcherism and in particular the emphasis on market processes and the preference for general a priori laws to replace the existing bureaucratic system of discretionary intervention. Much of the electoral rhetoric and early government statements were concerned with moving the climate of opinion towards a greater acceptance of private enterprise. The discussion of the EZ planning scheme so far has concentrated on the scope of the planning function. The impression gained is that Hall sees this later government approach as a watering down of the 'freedoms' in his Freeport idea. The wider application of the simplified planning regime was part of Howe's thinking when he first launched the EZ idea.
