ABSTRACT
What constitutes planning and its role has been the focus of intense professional and academic debate, and the subject of political struggle. In Britain, the constant flow of reforms of the planning systems which gathered an unprecedented pace in the 2000s is to some extent a reflection of the contested nature of planning. However, one aspect of the British planning system which has remained constant since its formal inception in 1947 is the existence of its two principal components: development plans and development management. Together they are meant to achieve a balance between certainty and flexibility in the governance of places. Such a combination is almost a unique feature of the planning system in Britain. The focus of this chapter is on development plans and the subsequent chapter discusses the development management process.
