Problems in the Theory and Practice of Planning Enforcement

This article reviews current practice in planning enforcement in the UK and draws on regulation theory to assist in explaining it. It raises questions about planning authorities' current capacity to undertake effective enforcement, based on the evidence of recent government sponsored reviews. It draws on international experience in questioning whether the long established model of enforcement underpinning UK practice is universally appropriate. Finally, it seeks to promote a debate about the theory, as well as the practice, of planning enforcement, as a means of improving both, in an era of increasing public concern about environmental rights and new political priorities for environmental regulation.