NCJ Number
130122
Journal
Journal of Law and Society Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: special issue (Spring 1991) Pages: 32-47
Date Published
1991
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The emergency of the environment as a mainstream political issue in the United Kingdom cannot be understood without an appreciation of the role of the land use planning system.
Abstract
The modern era of environmental politics in the United Kingdom dates from 1969 when Friends of the Earth was established. The first White Paper on the environment was published in 1970, and the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution was created the same year. The land use planning system in place by 1970 was based on the Town and Country Planning Act of 1947. In the new phase of environmental concern from 1970 on, opportunities for involvement in land use issues helped a distinctive social movement to begin defining itself. During the 1980's responsibility in the planning sphere was shifted downward to the district council level, while strategic control over planning shifted upward toward central government. Land use planning law made a significant contribution to the emergence of environmental politics, particularly with regard to housing and industrial development within the green belt and alternative uses of agricultural land. Environmental politics focused on structural tensions in an industrialized society, and reflected public anxiety about economic, social, and political commitment to the environment. Organizations like Friends of the Earth had to be opportunistic and inventive in their outlooks. These groups gravitated toward the news media, European Community institutions, and the land use planning system to deal with environmental issues. Rural and suburban land use issues played a significant role in the process of generating an environmental agenda. 45 notes and references