Over the past 10 years or so, the UK has witnessed intense interregional competition for a small number of large inward investment projects. These projects, examples of foreign direct investment (FDI) from Far East Asia, have been relied upon by nation-states as panaceas to the economic problems...

The election of the 'New Labour' government in the UK in May 1997 heralded the start of a new opportunity and era for politics. A determination to modernise the institutions of Britain, associated with a commitment to foster social justice and community with concern for the market, has created a...

Successive attempts to reform planning practice in England have given rise to an impression that planning is "under attack". Various academic commentaries have performed the valuable service of cataloguing aspects of this reform agenda, often within the context of the analytical framework...

The provision of national planning guidance from central government to local authorities and property developers to shape urban land-use policy and practice has been a feature of the planning system in Britain since the 1940s. This guidance, however, has not been released in any consistent form...

In 1998 the Minister for the Regions, Regeneration and Planning issued a statement which argued that the European context for planning had been largely missing from the planning system in England. This paper explores the impact of European Union (EU) membership on the practice of local authority...

“Spatial planning” is a phrase that now resonates throughout many planning systems across the globe. It is being used as a label to describe pan-national, regional, strategic and even aspects of local planning processes. Within the UK, spatial planning is being utilized alongside, or even in...

Over the last 10 years, European Union interest in planning has increased significantly. Although land use planning remains a function of each member state, the legal obligations imposed by the EU in the fields of environmental law, structural funds, the Common Agricultural Policy, and...

The creation of devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, coupled with the proposals for the English regions are creating new operational environments for local government in different parts of the UK. This paper reviews both the key factors affecting these new environments and their...