The Town and Country Planning system, introduced in its current form just after the Second World War, provides a mechanism for the public, acting through its elected representatives, to make decisions on the use of land. The government'r espousal of the concept of sustainable development has added to the importance of the planning system. This module is concerned with the legal rules that regulate the democratic process of planning and, in particular, the development plan, planning consent and Environmental Impact Assessment. The student is invited to consider the relationship of the planning system to other types of environmental control, such as regulations for the control of pollution and to question the effectiveness of the system to deliver environmental objectives.