Statutory Planning - History of Statutory Planning

History of Statutory Planning

In the 18th century, England experienced the first Industrial Revolution which saw the rise of manufacturing as a dominant propellor of economic growth. That phenomenon was accompanied by a burgeoning population increase, a rapid migration of population from the agricultural regions into cities and the development of the industrial city.

There arose then the necessity to house workers within the towns; however, the rapid pace of development and the profit motive of the industrialists ensured that the towns being developed were poorly designed, lack basic amenities and there was a lack of concern of the welfare of the workers. Houses were constructed at high densities in areas which had incompatible land uses, resulting in poor living conditions, the rise of squatter settlements and high motality rates.

It was at that time that some industrialists attempted to use appropriate regulation and control to manage how development occurred. That later led to the introduction of the Town Planning Act 1909, which was the first planning statute to be enacted. Although it was limited in scope, it provided the pathway for the legislational acceptance of the principle of statutory planning, or town planning, to use a British-centric terminology. The Act was to pave the way for the establishment of present-day statutory planning processes across the world.