Pitfalls in Protection: How Theory Can Enrich Our Understanding of Regulatory Compliance Problems in Planning Practice

The impetus for this paper was to respond to an area where there has been a dearth of investigation and demands for original academic investigation into environmental protection, specifically the practical and structural problems which underpin regulatory compliance in the planning system. Significantly it critiques previously unchallenged theories of regulation and answers calls for the development of a thematic lens to facilitate the scrutiny of not only operational practice, but also the broader institutional regime. The rigour of the empirical investigation is evidenced by the unique development of the construct of really responsive regulation to study planning control and it becomes apparent from a robust interrogation of the issues that that not only are there significant procedural planning difficulties facing regulatory compliance, but also that a much wider raft of issues must be considered if the complex equation is to be solved. The research outputs demonstrate how theory can be applied to enrich our rudimentary understanding of deep-seated problems and foster insights into areas of structural importance which are relevant not only to planning but also the wider regulatory arena.