This book traces the history of the development control system in Britain from early modern times to the present day.

Chapter 1. The Glory of the British Planning System. Chapter 2. Property, Contract and Regulation: Urban Control before Planning. Chapter 3. The Search for Flexibility. Chapter 4. Towards Universal Control. Chapter 5. Control by Consents: the 1947 Act and After. Chapter 6. Development Control in a Market Economy. Chapter 7. Towards the New Millennium. Chapter 8. Future Glory? Bibliography. Index.