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Planning reform, rescaling, and the construction of the post-political: the case of the Planning Act and nuclear power consultation in the UK

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 16:08 authored by Philip JohnstonePhilip Johnstone
This paper explores the relationship between ‘postpolitics' and processes of rescaling enacted through planning reform. It centres empirically on the policy shift which has occurred in planning since the inception of the Planning Act 2008—the new framework which will oversee the development of new nuclear power and other large-scale infrastructural developments in the UK. This act has radically altered the ways in which publics can engage with government policy. Using interview data gathered from participants in recent nuclear power consultations, as well as participants in the old inquiry-based system of the 1980s, it is argued that processes of rescaling through the Planning Act have diminished the ‘political opportunities' available for certain nongovernmental actors to intervene in the policy process. This has contributed to the postpoliticisation of the planning framework in certain arenas, which raises significant questions concerning public engagement and democratic accountability within the wider context of the modernisation of planning. The potential consequences of these developments are discussed.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy

ISSN

0263-774X

Publisher

Pion

Issue

4

Volume

32

Page range

697-713

Department affiliated with

  • SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications

Notes

Also published as part of SPRU Working Paper Series: SWPS 2013-08.

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2013-10-17

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