[1]: 1 The roots of the UK town and country planning system as it emerged in the immediate post-war years lay in concerns developed over the previous half century in response to industrialisation and urbanisation.
These concerns were expressed through the work of thinkers such as Ebenezer Howard and the philanthropic actions of industrialists such as the Lever Brothers and the Cadbury family, and architects such as Raymond Unwin, PRIBA, and Patrick Abercrombie.
By the outbreak of Second World War, thinking was sufficiently advanced that the Ministry of Town and Country Planning was established on 7 February 1943 under William Morrison, the former Postmaster-General.
[2] During the war, a series of royal commissions looked into specific problems in urban planning and development control.
It required all proposals, with a few exceptions, to secure planning permission from the local authority, with provision to appeal against refusal.
This was abolished by the Town and Country Planning Act 1954 passed under subsequent Conservative government.
Counties developed structure plans that set broad targets for the wider area.
Section 106 substantially re-wrote section 52 from the former act, settling the concept of agreements (known as "planning obligation agreements," or more commonly "Section 106 agreements"), under which the developer is subject to detailed arrangements and restrictions beyond those that a planning condition could impose, or by which they make agreed financial contributions beyond the immediate building works to offset development effects on the local community.
This was soon amended to allow a developer to self-impose obligations to preempt objections to planning permission.
All LDDs and SPDs also have to be accompanied by a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).
In December 1995, the London Borough of Wandsworth created a website that published electronic images of planning application documents.
This technology greatly improved access to application-related documents for all participants in the planning process.
Other access methods now include routing inquiries through a centrally-hosted public or privately hosted website, such as UKPlanning[5] or the national Planning Portal.
In such a case the ombudsman has no powers to enforce a retraction of the permission, but it may sanction the local authority.
of making the inspectors independent of government ministers, as in the Planning Appeals Commission in Northern Ireland.
The new Class reads[10] Class E. Commercial, Business and Service Use, or part use, for all or any of the following purposes— (a)for the display or retail sale of goods, other than hot food, principally to visiting members of the public, (b)for the sale of food and drink principally to visiting members of the public where consumption of that food and drink is mostly undertaken on the premises, (c)for the provision of the following kinds of services principally to visiting members of the public— (i)financial services, (ii)professional services (other than health or medical services), or (iii)any other services which it is appropriate to provide in a commercial, business or service locality, (d)for indoor sport, recreation or fitness, not involving motorised vehicles or firearms, principally to visiting members of the public, (e)for the provision of medical or health services, principally to visiting members of the public, except the use of premises attached to the residence of the consultant or practitioner, (f)for a creche, day nursery or day centre, not including a residential use, principally to visiting members of the public, (g)for— (i)an office to carry out any operational or administrative functions, (ii)the research and development of products or processes, or (iii)any industrial process, being a use, which can be carried out in any residential area without detriment to the amenity of that area by reason of noise, vibration, smell, fumes, smoke, soot, ash, dust or grit.
Class F.2 Local community Use as— (a)a shop mostly selling essential goods, including food, to visiting members of the public in circumstances where— (i)the shop’s premises cover an area not more than 280 metres square, and (ii)there is no other such facility within 1000 metre radius of the shop’s location, (b)a hall or meeting place for the principal use of the local community, (c)an area or place for outdoor sport or recreation, not involving motorised vehicles or firearms, (d)an indoor or outdoor swimming pool or skating rink.”.
A key part of planning control is exercised in the UK by preventing any significant development of property without permission by the local authority.
[citation needed] The financial costs and time delays associated with the new system are significant and the Barker Review of Housing Supply (2004) on the planning system suggested some of the requirements were unnecessary and delaying the delivery of sustainable and social housing, and recommended early revisions to the regulations.
[13] HM Treasury noted the recommendation to redirect a portion of Section 106 financial contributions as a "planning gain supplement"" for wider community needs and has responded by an act of Parliament that will levy "a tax on the increase in the value of land resulting from the grant of permission for development".