Can Community Empowerment Reduce Opposition to Housing? Evidence from Rural England

This paper explores the potential benefits of giving local communities a greater role in planning for housing-an approach being pioneered by the government in the UK. That new government has embarked on an ambitious programme of reform, including dismantling the 'top-down' system of planning for housing and replacing it with a 'bottom-up', community-driven approach. This paper explores the implications of this new approach to ask whether it can be effective in reducing opposition to new housing. It draws upon evidence taken from a study into opposition to small-scale housing schemes in rural England, and broader literature related to opposition to development.