Planning by consent

"The purpose of Planning by Consent is to find historical explanations for the way in which the development control system has evolved. Starting with a discussion of attitudes to property and to the problem of nuisance in the Middle Ages, the book charts the development of control mechanisms, first as exercised by landlords through leasehold agreements and then later, through the gradual development of bylaws to control building. It then turns to the way in which development control was introduced into the planning system and, from being an expedient device, became a central part of British planning."--Jacket.