Urban planning, hazardous installations, and blight: an evaluation of responses to hazard-development conflict

Urban planning has played an increasing role in response to threats to heal th and safety, but this can create problematical conflicts with other plann ing priorities. The author examines how the UK planning system deals in pra ctice with the safety implications of hazardous installations involving the storage and use of toxic, explosive, and flammable substances. The respons es that have been made by local planning authorities to hazard-development conflicts in the vicinity of hazardous installations are evaluated. A disti nction is made between those responses focused on development restraint thr ough refusing permission for housing, community facilities, and other sensi tive land uses, and those focused on the hazard source. It is argued that t hese last are becoming increasingly significant despite limitations in the statutory powers available. Through focusing on recent developments and dra wing on a wide range of experience, the author adds to the existing researc h literature on planning and hazardous installations in which the evolution of policy and practice in this area has hitherto been rather sporadically examined. The implications of a recent policy focus on brownfield redevelop ment, of new European regulations for hazardous sites, and of wider trends in relationships between industry, regulators, and communities at risk are considered.