National planning - Transport Policy and Planning in Great Britain - page 281

National spatial planning in England
All governments in England have resisted the idea of a national spatial plan or
framework, although they are regularly called on to prepare one by organisations such
as the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Town and Country Planning Association.
This does not mean that Government decisions do not have inter-regional or cross-
boundary implications that would logically indicate the case for a national plan. Rather
not having a plan appears to have the over-riding merit of not drawing attention to
the extremely difficult and controversial issues involved and requiring them to be
explicitly addressed.
Two of the most important issues are the future of the London metropolis (which
in functional terms extends across at least three of the English regions) and the
relationship of developments in this dominant area to the rest of the country, and
indeed the rest of the UK. The absence of a plan also enables decisions which have
inter-regional implications to be made on a one-off basis and kept 'under the radar'.
Examples are the selection of housing growth areas in the Sustainable Communities
Plan, the development of individual airports and the spatial patterning of investment
by the Highways Agency and Network Rail.
National policy is contained instead in a series of generic Planning Policy Statements
(which are progressively replacing the former Planning Policy Guidance Notes). Again
the Government is under no obligation to publish documents of this kind. However
in the field of spatial planning if it does so these have statutory significance in the
preparation of regional strategies and local plans and are a material consideration in
the determination of planning applications. There are currently about two dozen PPSs
or PPGs on various subjects, the transport aspects of development being one (Box
17.2).
Ironically, given their significance for spatial planning at regional and local levels,
it is the absence of spatial references in this national guidance which is one of its main
weaknesses. For example policies such as the location of development in relation to
Box 17.2 The role of land use planning in relation to transport
Land use planning has a key role in delivering the Government's integrated transport
strategy. By shaping the pattern of development and influencing the location, scale,
density, design and mix of land uses, planning can help to reduce the need to travel,
reduce the length of journeys and make it safer and easier for people to access jobs,
shopping, leisure facilities and services by public transport, walking, and cycling.
Consistent application of these planning policies will help to reduce some of the
need for car journeys (by reducing the physical separation of key land uses) and
enable people to make sustainable transport choices. These policies are therefore
part of the Government's overall approach to addressing the needs of motorists,
other road and public transport users, and business by reducing congestion and
pollution and achieving better access to development and facilities. They will also
help to promote sustainable distribution. In this way, planning policies can increase
the effectiveness of other transport policies and help maximise the contribution of
transport to improving our quality of life.
Source: DTLR 2001 PPG13 Transport para 3