7. Town and Country Planning

Abstract

Town and country planning legislation aims to control the development of land and buildings. Section 57(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 stipulates that ‘planning permission is required for the carrying out of any development of land’. This chapter first discusses the two main elements of town and country planning: (1) obtaining planning permission for new developments; and (2) the change of use of existing properties. It then explains breaches of planning control and enforcement; building regulations; and typical planning enquiries. A town and country planning decision tree is also presented.