Abstract:

Britain has been committed to public participation in Local Government planning since 1968. Few people were surprised by the initial reluctance of the British public to make use of their new statutory right to participate. However, ten years later, there is still no real indication that the commitment on paper to public participation has lead to an increase in public involvement. Research indicates that Local Authorities have failed to convince the public of the credibility of the participation process. Against this background social research techniques have a crucial role to play in providing Local Authorities with a way of obtaining a representative and objective view of public opinion.