In the 18th century, individual towns obtained their own legislation for improvement
Parliament also passed legislation authorising the construction of specific buildings within towns
The persistent problems of poor and unhealthy living conditions in towns required the direct intervention of Parliament
In the early 20th century Parliament began encouraging local authorities to adopt new principles of town planning
In order to meet severe housing shortages, Parliament approved heavily subsidised local building during the inter-war years
After the Second World War Parliament gave approval for an ambitious programme of new town developments
Here you can trace the main turning points in Parliament's role in controlling town development