Don't upset the balance

摘要

Planning is not just one of the most controversial of all local authority services. It is also one of the most complex.We all have a tendency to grumble about the weaknesses in the planning system - it takes too long. Its processes, at times, appear labyrinthine. It fails to deliver objectives that we think of as self-evidently desirable and, most of all, from time to time, it allows developments that we hate.But, of course, this is quite simply a reflection of the immensely-difficult task which planning is expected to perform. It has to reflect a community's aspirations for development, and also protect and enhance the existing urban fabric and character of the area.It has to balance legitimate economic expectations of opportunities for growth, with equally legitimate opposition to the adverse consequences - more traffic, more noise, more pressure on local services and infrastructure.