Town Planning

Town planning – it’s a profession that has been around for hundreds upon hundreds of years, yet many of us take it for granted. Perhaps this is because town planning is intended to be invisible – in fact, a good planner’s work should be so seamless that we simply appreciate the ease with which we live and work without stopping to consider the thought that has gone in to the initial development. Indeed it is no mere coincidence that bus stops and tube stations are placed where they are, nor that stadiums are built in one place and not another. Schools and hospitals spring up not at random, but with a thoughtfulness that takes into account the growing population and pressure points in certain growth areas. The state of our cities and towns today is all thanks to the work of the urban planner.

Although the council and government planning offices may be disliked by keen renovators and property developers, in truth these planning divisions are put in place to consider the needs and requirements of the population of a built up area as a whole. While this may not please everyone, particularly if it means denying the rights of a builder to put up an extension or extra level of a house, it can safely be said that the planning office usually has the best of intentions. Surely the job cannot be an easy one, having to juggle so many balls at once – roads, walkways, residential, commercial and industrial areas, shared public facilities, electrical and water supplies, cabling, schools, hospitals, libraries, universities, sporting areas, parks… you name it, the planning office has to designate it!