Strategic Planning In England in the Era of Localism

Planning in the UK has undergone a period of structural and institutional reform. The previous system, based on Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) as the frameworks guiding local development planning, was completely changed by the new labour government throughout the Localism Act 2011. A new way of planning across local boundaries has followed on the revocation of RSS: under the "duty to cooperate" (Localism Act, art. 110) local plan-making authorities (LPAs) are now expected to undertake joint work on sub-regional planning issues as sustainable development or use of land in two-tier areas. At the end of this plan preparation process, the “duty to co-operate (DtC)” is conceived as a legal requirement that the Planning Inspectorate will look at. Councils are required to give sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the DtC has been undertaken appropriately. LPAs throughout England are now in the early stages of application of the DtC in the process of preparing local plans and several doubt emerge on its efficacy to meet the latent need for some forms of strategic planning. New issues to tackle arise and new skills for planning practitioners are required. Through the analysis of several strategic spatial planning experiences, the paper discusses the forms of governance in place, the different boundaries they assume and the responsibilities they encounter. The aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the way strategic planning works in the Era of England’s Localism and to consider whether the DtC offers a viable mechanism for strategic planning.