Planning law in Italy and England: Similarities and differences

The systems of planning law in Italy and England share some important common features. They have developed as plan-led systems. Albeit in different ways, in both countries the scope of planning law has been widening, shifting from the mere control of land development to ensuring that the environment, cultural heritage and sustainable development are fully acknowledged during the planning process. The last relevant piece of legislation is the Localism Act 2011, which abolished Regional Spatial Strategies, rationalized the former policy guidance system by replacing the existing policies with a National Planning Policy Framework and introduced neighborhood planning, thus empowering communities to prepare a neighborhood development plan and grant permission through neighborhood development orders. England has a complex body of law and detailed regulations as well, but lacks the provision for a concurrent regional legislative competence. This means that compared to Italy, England certainly has a more homogeneous body of legislation.