Rescaling of Planning and Its Interface with Economic Development

Abstract

Following the installation of a UK Coalition Government in 2010, ways of governing the spatial organization of development have undergone far-reaching change in England. Within a context of austerity following the abolition of regional policy machinery, and an onerous national target framework, localities are entering a new phase of incentivized development. Consequently, local planning authorities are having to transfer part of their focus from government's ‘top-down’ requirements, as they come to embrace more adequately ‘bottom-up’ neighbourhood scale plans. Analysing the path of change, especially at the interface between planning and economic development, the paper draws attention to the dilemmas arising from these crucial scale shifts, and explores the potential of sub-national governance entities—Local Enterprise Partnerships—to help resolve the strategic co-ordination of planning.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the helpful comments received by Graham Haughton and John Mawson. The usual disclaimers apply.

Notes

The Coalition Government initially sanctioned 24 LEPs in October 2010. Following this, a further 15 LEPs had been approved prior to the end of 2011. The 39 agreed partnerships cover all but one District of England.

The Localism Act—announced as a Bill in December, 2010 and operational from April 2012—legislates for the devolution of statutory powers, including the provision of local authority services at large, to a plethora of local bodies, including community groupings.

Policy-relevant implications draw on the authors' many years combined experience across a wide range of multi-scalar and multi-sector partnership forums, community regeneration boards, planning committees, Local Authorities, RDAs, GORs and national government departments, such as the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).