Parliament remains keen to influence how communities develop through town and country planning legislation. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, passed by Parliament in 2004, abolished county-level structure plans and introduced statutory regional planning in the form of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS).
The RSS set a framework for all local development frameworks in each English region. Each strategy determines how much development there should be, how it will be spread around the region and how it will be delivered. Environment, infrastructure and housing are all covered by the RSS.
In 2008 Parliament also considered and passed the Planning Act, which reformed existing town and country planning legislation, including the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and the earlier Town & Country Planning Act 1990.
Several provisions in the former Act reflected the changing priorities faced by planning authorities. The RSS, for example, were updated to include policies designed to tackle climate change, while the sustainable development duty in the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 was altered to include a specific reference to the desirability of achieving good design.