Parliament makes laws and sets out the legal framework for the planning system in England and Wales. The primary legislation for the planning system is the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 accompanied by other legislation such as the General Permitted Development Order 1995, the Use Classes Order 1987 and a range of statutory instruments.
However while Parliament makes the law the Courts have to interpret the legislation. Courts may be required to make judgements on planning matters and as a result case law is established. Planning Officers have to take into account both the primary legislation and case law when deciding planning applications and preparing Local Development Frameworks.
The Government administers the planning system. They can:
Different tiers of Local Government are involved in planning: County Councils, District Councils and in some urban areas unitary authorities only.