This second edition explores  the  dramatic changes taking place in England

 My book The Look And Shape Of England , which explored how politics  influenced the environment of England over the last century, was published in 2010 -just before the General Election- and anticipated the change to localism  in planning policy. The RIBA Journal described it as “remarkably prescient on the forces now shaping planning policy”.

I am now working on a second edition to be published by Book Guild  in October 2022. The changes that entry into the European Union brought to England`s environment are described  and how following the referendum and the withdrawal agreement further changes will be inevitable. Part  1 is a history of our politics from the early years as planning came of age before the first world war through the challenges of the  twentieth century to the 2019 General Election and the impact of the pandemic. Part 2 deals with England`s future and includes case studies of London, provincial cities including Oxford, Liverpool, Newcastle and Plymouth and the non- metropolitan areas including the red wall constituencies. These case studies examine how these communities coped with economic problems in the past and how they can respond post-Brexit. Additional chapters deal with combating climate change and the importance and value of Green Belt policies. A final chapter looks forward to an England restored and a national renaissance.

 

The Brexit vote revealed deep divisions within the country where communities  experienced economic reversals.  The 2019 General Election radically changed the political map of England. People in ” left – behind towns” want politics to reflect and respond to their needs. England needs its own devolution and the book includes case studies where local communities have tackled these problems and embraced regeneration. These include a study of how the planning system can help to combat the dangerous consequences of climate change.

The beginning of this- the  third decade of the twenty  first century -has brought a series of exceptional events barely equalled in our history. Not  only will the consequences of Brexit and climate change bring about more dramatic changes but the covid-19 pandemic will change how we live and move around with huge consequences for planning and development.

I will be publishing extracts on this blog but here you can see reviews of the first edition.

A lively and hugely accessible read how planning policies and decisions have both blessed and blighted the Britain of 2010. The Countryman Magazine September 2010

It sets out clearly the lessons of history as related to planning policy for the new Coalition Government  Planning In London October 2010

This was a very interesting and readable account of the subject Building Engineer December 2010

Town planner Nigel Moor ran a planning consultancy in Wallingford for more than 20 years and was a Conservative Councillor The Oxford Times July 2010

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