Housing developers' perceptions of the planning process: a survey of Swedish companies

Purpose – The public activity of controlling land use is exerted through the planning process. The purpose of this paper is to examine how housing developers perceive different aspects of the planning process, and if these perceptions might act as a constraint for the development of new housing projects. Design/methodology/approach – A survey, based on a questionnaire, has been conducted with housing development companies having at least one project initiated during the period 2001‐2004 and with municipal housing companies with responsibility for providing affordable rental housing. The study focused on the assertions contained in the questionnaire, which were measured statistically with a t ‐test, to establish if the respondents agreed with the stated assertions. Additional information was achieved from factual and open questions to the respondents of the survey. Findings – The study shows that the housing developers do perceive the planning process as a factor of uncertainty in the development of new housing projects. Responsibility for making the planning process less uncertain lies both with planning officials and housing developers. However, housing developers cannot directly affect how the planning process is organised and controlled. Thus, housing developers need to decrease the uncertainty by performing stakeholder and risk analysis before acquisition of land. Originality/value – The study has found that there is evidence of reasonable concern on the part of housing development companies that should be taken seriously by planning authorities. The findings imply that greater transparency in the process would go hand‐in‐hand with a more consistent approach and thus more certain outcomes.