The Planning Act 2008: An investigation into its historical and neoliberal origins

Rees, Richard 2022. The Planning Act 2008: An investigation into its historical and neoliberal origins. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The Planning Act 2008 introduced a new method of providing legal consent for the construction of major infrastructure projects. It addressed criticism of the existing process over deficient government policy and undefined application requirements. It provided a definition of nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) to be subject to the Act, established a procedure for parliament to designate National Policy Statements (NPS), and established the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) to examine applications under the Act (although this was abolished by later legislation). Writers on planning characterised the Act as neoliberal in a pejorative sense. The purpose of this research is to determine the validity of these assertions so that decisions on the further use of the Act’s procedures can be made on logical grounds rather than being influenced by adverse, and possibly misplaced, criticism. The work seeks a definition of neoliberalism and reviews how it has been treated in the literature, seeking definitions to judge the Act against. Three ‘characteristics’ of neoliberalism were identified: reduced democratic accountability; centralising or decentralising intentions; and business empathy and orientation. An investigation into these characteristics and the historical background of the Act was carried out using a single-phase convergent technique. Particular attention was paid to the parliamentary passage of the Act. The research concludes that the Act continues a line of development stretching back several centuries, and is not overtly neoliberal, although there are nuances in this assessment. Operating to enable development irrespective of promoters’ identity, it supports business interests. Democratic control is retained at a national level, with parliamentary processes developed to ensure NPSs are owned by Parliament, and decisions made by accountable politicians: the role of neoliberalism did not concern legislators. An effective, certain and time-limited consenting system has resulted, albeit neoliberalism appears to have had a normative influence in its production.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Planning Act 2008 Localism Act 2008 Planning Infrastructure Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects National Policy Statements Infrastructure Planning Commission Development Consent Orders Neoliberal
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	25 September 2023
Last Modified:	25 Sep 2023 15:53
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/162726

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