ABSTRACT
Any account of the development of planning in Britain must start with the Town Planning Act of 1909. The Act was not a controversial measure, especially in comparison with the other interventionist measures passed by Liberal governments between 1906 and 1914. The lack of opposition can be superficially explained in terms of a number of cultural conditions. Behind Parliament’s acceptance of the new planning lay a moderate alliance of local politicians, professionals in the intellectual skills related to housing and local government, intellectuals and businessmen. A one-dimensional account of the history of planning would be this: in reaction to the urban conditions following industrialization, government slowly began to regulate environmental conditions; it began with limited and definite problems and expanded in territorial generality until comprehensive planning existed. In order to understand the main themes and preoccupations of the Victorian age, it is more useful to study Octavia Hill in whose life the contrasting theories and values can be observed.
