Course unit details:
Planning Powers and Procedures
| Unit code | PLAN60021 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 15 |
| Unit level | FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
This course unit provides an introduction to the UK statutory town and country planning systems. Its main focus is the English system, including contemporary land-use policy guidance, plan-making and regulatory control systems, and the principles and practices of spatial planning. As a formal regulatory framework, statutory land-use planning systems set the rules under which all those with interests in the future development and use of land must operate and, as a result, give an indication of what can and cannot be achieved through the statutory planning powers and controls developed for each of the four national territories in the United Kingdom. These spatial planning policy frameworks are not static but change over time in response to changing political and socio-economic circumstances. The English planning system in particular has been subject to almost constant change over the last decade. Within these varied and changing arrangements, planning and related professionals must work towards balancing the needs and demands of different democratic societies in each of the UK’s four territories, bearing in mind the conservation of environmental resources and the promotion of sustainable development.
Aims
The unit aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to:
Understand and critically examine the operation of the statutory town planning systems in the UK and to introduce spatial planning concepts.
Evaluate how plan policies are identified, developed and implemented and their relationship with development control within differing frameworks of planning law;
Analyse and present findings in various formats and to develop practical and professional skills in British planning procedures.
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures, Practical Workshops / Seminars and Mock Planning Inquiry
Knowledge and understanding
Demonstrate an accurate understanding and knowledge of the key concepts and operation of the UK planning system.
Demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature, scope and limits of the English planning system.
Demonstrate a critical awareness of the key tensions between different elements of the English planning system, including the relationship between planning policy and the planning application process.
Intellectual skills
Demonstrate the ability to synthesize key points from a wide range of information to construct a moderately sophisticated argument with regard to the strengths and weaknesses of specific planning policies and concepts.
Demonstrate the ability to analyse policy documents with a view to making a case for or against a particular development.
Demonstrate the ability to construct a coherent written legal case for or against a particular development.
Practical skills
Demonstrate the ability to write about complex planning issues in well-illustrated articles which are clear, accessible and succinct.
Demonstrate the ability to prepare and present information to a professional standard.
Demonstrate the ability to follow a sharply defined set of requirements (a tight brief) for the preparation of articles and reports for different hypothetical "clients."
Demonstrate a practical understanding of the planning inquiry process through participation in the mock planning inquiry and through the report prepared for the mock planning inquiry.
Transferable skills and personal qualities
Develop competencies in professional report writing and presentation through preparation of the written report for the mock planning inquiry
Construct and defend robust arguments based on evidence and the application of legal and policy frameworks.
Assessment methods
Group work: 'Mock' Planning Application and Inquiry, Written report (2500 words maximum) and 5-10 minute presentation - Weighting 30%.
Individual assignment: Two short articles (2000 words maximum) - Weighting 70%.
Feedback methods
Written feedback will be provided following assignment submission and group presentation.
Recommended reading
Bowes, A (2019) A Practical Approach to Planning Law (14th ed.), Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Sheppard, A., Peel, D., Ritchie, H. and Berry, S. (2019) The Essential Guide to Planning Law: Decision Making and Practice in the UK, Policy Press, Bristol.
Sheppard, A., Croft, N. and Smith, A. (2019) The Short Guide to Town & Country Planning (2nd Ed.)
Cullingworth, J.B. & Nadin, V. (2014) Town and Country Planning in Britain (15th Edition). Routledge, Abingdon
Greed, C. with Johnson, D. (2014) Planning in the UK – An Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
Haughton, G & Allmendinger, P (2014) Spatial Planning and the New Localism, Routledge, Abingdon.
Hall, P. & Tewdwr-Jones, M. (2010) Urban & Regional Planning (5th edition), Routledge, Abingdon
A problem with all textbooks is that they tend to become out of date quite quickly in respect of legislative and/or policy changes. For the most up-to-date details, it is therefore necessary to be familiar with relevant sections of the government website of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and other relevant bodies and organisations such as the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 20 |
| Seminars | 8 |
| Tutorials | 4 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 118 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Mark Baker | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
Information
Historical perspectives, legal administrative and institutional frameworks for UK planning
- EU institutions and policy frameworks
- National, regional and sub-regional planning policy in the UK
- Forward Planning and Local Development Frameworks in England
- Supplementary Planning Documents and Neighbourhood Plans
- Introduction to development control
- Making planning applications
- Determining planning applications
- Role of negotiation: Planning gain
- Operating the system - enforcement, appeals and inquiries
- Mock public inquiry
- Special forms of control
- Contemporary changes and developments