Challenges of English Town and Country Planning Policies: Regeneration and Sustainable Communities

Abstract

The English planning system is responsible for ensuring the acceptable development of urban environments as well as the safeguarding of green spaces and open countryside. The maintenance of this delicate balance has, in recent years, come under threat due to a growing demand for housing. This issue, however, has spurred a different approach to housing provision, one that encourages the recycling of existing housing stock through small scale regeneration undertaken, in part, by the residents themselves. This paper provides an insight into the government-led regeneration initiatives imposed by the previous labour government, and current challenges facing the planning system and the innovative solutions proposed in line with the coalition government’s ambition for localism and, ultimately, more sustainable communities.