The 1947 Planning Act and the Reaction to It

In this chapter, the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947 is analysed. It constituted the final, practical form of the urban reconstruction machinery after the end of the war. In addition, the reaction to the 1947 Act and the revision of the planning system by the Conservatives is also examined through the issue of the Planning Acts of 1951, 1954 and 1959. Nevertheless, the principal Act remained the 1947 Act, especially parts I–IV, which dealt with the making and amendment of development plans, the day-to-day control of development through the grant or refusal of planning permission for development, and the acquisition and disposal of land for planning purposes, were in force during the whole of the 1950s.