Planning obligations in development plans

Abstract Using two case studies, UK local authority policies, developer objections and Inspectors' reports are considered to determine attitudes towards planning obligation policies. Legislation (Town and Country Planning Act, 1990) and revised guidance (DoE Circular 16/ 91) offered the chance to move away from the ad hoc. Informal practice which characterized the negotiation of ‘planning gain’ in the 1980s and establish a system backed by the force of statutory plan policies. A major Issue for the two authorities Is the formalization and legitimation of their practice. For developers concerns centre around the scale and scope of obligations. Inspectors aim to ensure conformity of DoE policy. The paper notes that Inspectors' recommendations support the scope of obligations sought by local authorities but that the Issue of the scale of obligations remains unresolved. This may lead to difficulties in the operation of the reworked system.