A Practical Approach to Planning Law

Despite repeated attempts in recent years to simplify the planning system, planning law has continued to be so complex that practitioners and students alike have found it difficult to disentangle the complicated issues and principles involved. The tenth edition of Victor Moore's popular and accessible book aims to remove the mystery and difficulty which planning law presents to so many people.

This new edition contains expanded coverage of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, exploring the implementation of what is arguably the most significant planning legislation since the present system of planning control was introduced by the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. The Act replaced much of the old planning regime, giving central government a larger say over planning decisions. In particular, in place of the development plan system that was in place, it introduced the concept of a Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for each region in the country and Development Plan Documents. This means that local planning authorities will be denied the opportunity they may once have had to avoid complying with central government targets (e.g. those aimed at new house building in their area). Regional Planning Bodies are charged with keeping the RSS under review and to ensure compliance with its terms.

The book includes the most important cases that have occurred since the publication of the ninth edition in 2005, and in particular the cases decided under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. The book also considers the impact that the Human Rights Act 1998 has had on overall planning strategy as well as on local development plans, including those decisions based on Article 8 (Right to Respect for Privacy and Family Life). It also looks forward to the changes to the planning system suggested in the White Paper, Planning for a Sustainable Future.

Victor Moore is a barrister of Gray's Inn and Professor Emeritus of the University of Reading. He is Joint Editor of the JPL Planning Law Case Reports and has written and lectured extensively on aspects of planning law in the United States, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, and Japan.