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Planning law in the UK was changed with the release of regulations in PPG 13 in 1994. This emphasised the notion for compact planning for UK cities. Out-of-town developments are more likely to be refused planning permission. UK housebuilders are positive on the requirement to focus on urban areas rather than greenfield sites. Problems include assessing contamination on sites and agreeing of decontamination standards. Multiple ownership may also hinder such developments.

Milton Keynes is a city in England which is under 30-years-old and has been aided by the Commission for New Towns (CNT), due to be abolished in 1998. The CNT argues that retail facilties in the city should be expanded, and a program is to be announced in Mar 1995. An art gallery and theater are planned as part of the retail development. The CNT is also seeking to encourage the development of Milton Keynes as a center for distribution and has released land for this purpose.

The rapid growth of suburban retail development in the UK, paced by a new phenomenon, the superstore, has met with resistance from environmentalists and land planners. Spurred by the Thatcher government's 'Roads for Prosperity' plan, the development has clogged highways and eroded historic town centers. The government is now reversing course. Town centers are being revitalized and motor tolls and a 5%/yr gas tax increase have been proposed.

The city of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, has seen many stages in the development of its central area, but still faces considerable traffic problems, and the City Council has been obliged to set down a formal transport policy to cover a period of around 20 years. A projected rise in car ownership must be addressed if congestion is to be limited, and ways of giving priority to certain types of traffic must be considered. A restraint policy will be gradually implemented in part of the city centre, with four control zones covering around 150 hectares, and cross-city traffic routes will have to be clearly identified, as it is not possible to build a ring road. The tasks of three working groups looking at these issues are considered.

Leeds, city of fun and frolic Northern England's city centres are going European THE British have never taken to the continental European habit of filling city squares with cafes where [...]

The suburbs are paying for Britain's success in reviving its inner cities THE huge, red-fronted Mailbox building just off Birmingham's city centre was built in the 1970s as the country's [...]

Monday Redesign Portillo's house, with a glass wave to conceal the fire escape. Tuesday E-mail from Hague Pitt Architects of Blackheath: 'So much for social inclusion! We have just learned [...]

Social engineering is good for architects. In Britain, following the Second World War, the drive was to move people out of the cities and into the suburbs. By the 1960s, [...]

Sheffield's new Millennium Galleries building has been drawing praise from every quarter -- as well it might. It is a building that, as well as addressing the functions within, is [...]

Standing at the foot of a taxi queue of around 500 people during the London tube strike last week was not an uplifting experience. I began to think about why [...]

The government has launched a two-pronged attack to take forward its Urban White Paper, with the creation of new regeneration companies, and architectural appointments on its Urban Sounding Board. The [...]

English Heritage has unveiled plans to reintegrate Hyde Park Corner into the capital's parkland. Although it does not intend to reduce the huge volume of traffic circling England's most famous [...]

Planning policy guidance encouraging in-town development is now making a real impact. High streets around the country are being revitalised with retail and leisure developments which are making them more […]

So was it worth the wait? The Urban White Paper is, at the very least, an explicit government commitment to design. It is a positive document -- rather than dwelling [...]

Politicians have criticised the government for not going far enough to implement the recommendations of the Urban Task Force, writes John Lewis. Tory environment spokesman Archie Norman, who has endorsed [...]

Last week's urban white paper addresses most of the points raised by the Urban Task Force. But does it lack the teeth to be effective? 'I now call upon the [...]

Open competitions will be held for the development of five more millennium-style villages over the next 18 months. The government wants to ensure that they are located in areas with [...]

Birmingham city centre is to be given a facelift in what Birmingham City Council claims will be the biggest regeneration scheme in Europe. The council has invited developers and investors […]

London should stop selling faded pomp and circumstance to tourists and get modern. offers his personal itinerary How is it that London chooses to advertise itself on the basis of [...]

Creating a new urban profile means rethinking the look of a city. The creation of Regional Development Authorities (RDAs) last year gave a clear boost to urban regeneration. Much of [...]

Former secretary of the Urban Task Force Jon Rouse has been appointed chief executive of the Commission for Architecture & the Built Environment. Rouse, a regeneration expert, has been policy [...]

Work has just started on a new square in the centre of Leeds. Designed by John Thrope, the square will provide a new landscaped space for outdoor performances and other [...]

It is not necessarily true to state that urban regeneration in the UK will help protect the countryside from development, meet future housing needs and improve the quality of city life. Most re-usable land is in Wales, Scotland and the northern parts of England, while most new jobs will probably be in the southern part of the country, where there is not much re-usable land. It can be questioned whether it is appropriate to construct new buildings in already crowded towns to save countryside which does not seem to be required for mainstream farming.

The report entitled 'The Impact of Large Foodstores on Market Towns and District Centres' from the UK Dept of the Environment, Transport and the Regions is generally to be welcomed. However, its conclusions about how retail planning should be organized should not necessarily be accepted without question. It is clear that very careful consideration will have to be given to how modern superstore shopping can be incorporated into small market towns where in the past smaller stores have operated successfully. There is a need for a strong political lead on the whole issue of the type of cities and towns Britons really want.

It is important that the planning process in the UK is regularly re-evaluated, recognizing that planning is a learning process involving people from many different parts of society. In the 1990s, the re-evaluation of planning has focused on identifying how new goals of sustainability can be incorporated into the planning system. It is particularly important to make changes to planning legislation to take into account people who reject the outward signs of wealth and wish to live simply.