The British road to post war planning: the forty‐year journey to the 1947 town & country planning act

This paper analyses the currents which gave rise to the 1947 Town & Country Planning Act. It describes the main statutory events in the first half of the 20th century and considers the progress made in implementing the legislation. It is argued that, while the 1947 Act was a major advance on what went before, it is not a significant departure.