A 2-TABLE PERSPECTIVE ON BRITISH DEVELOPMENT CONTROL Bruce Stiftel Professor of Urban and Regional Planning

Urban planners are often viewed as weak voices of reason in a violent sea of power responsive to speculators, developers and business interests. Planners’ influence seems tied to their ability to command information and to foster consensus among interested stakeholders. This is frequently problematic. Planners bargain at two tables. That is, they must negotiate with adversaries/external organizations while they also negotiate with factions within their own organizations to determine positions. Such two-table circumstances often result in unclear goals for planners, who are also constrained by statutes and other legal impediments to the exercise of public authority. In the UK, development control officers are the central figures facilitating both the intra-organizational table and the inter-organizational table. They lead the processes of developer-government negotiation over land development in a national legal context widely understood to be characterized by broad local government discretion. There is every reason to believe that, if any planners exert strong power in negotiations, it would be British development control officers. Yet, their work is subject to many pressures: many local agencies have a stake in proposals and argue vocally; decisions are often actually made by elected local councils who value constituent opinion; appeals to the Planning Inspectorate are frequent and often successful. The paper is based on research examining development control processes in Cardiff, Wales, seeking to improve understanding of whether planners enter permitting decisions with the knowledge they need to negotiate effectively, and are influential in steering applicants toward desired objectives. Detailed analysis of 6 case studies of land permit review, ranging from a house extension to a new 900 unit estate. After review of formal applications and file documents, researchers observed public meetings of planning staff and applicants, internal agency staff meetings, and interviewed staff, applicants and interveners. Findings assess the effectiveness of planners in managing the two tables required to negotiate development permits, point toward the impact of the second table in facilitating or limited the success of planners in achieving city policies, and suggest operational procedures that might help planners to