Planning and the Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Planning and the Law - Essay Example From the research it can be comprehended that development of architectural planning and legal control on building construction in England has a long history which dates back to around 1180s. This history has generated accounts of interest for building enthusiasts. The legal control on building construction began in the English capital London which was densely populated. The buildings in the city were densely packed creating so many problems in the city and could only be solved communally. Houses could be built with thin party walls and poorly sited privies as well as gutters which could cause nuisances to the neighbors. In addition, there were complaints from the residents that one house could block light from the other. For this reasons, the authorities decided to set up building regulations that could give guidelines on building construction this was as early as 1189. During this medieval time, the greatest risk was fire outbreaks. In 1212, there was a devastating fire which huge d estruction in the city, the mayor of the city could regularly received complaints about building nuisance by one neighbor against the other. The problem of country and town planning in England worsened during the profound revolution which the country went through during the nineteenth century. The revolution in England brought about enormous growth of the country’s population especially in the urban centers.... The influx of people in the industrial town was partly as a result of the decline in agricultural activities in the countryside especially after 1850. At the begging, the conditions around the newly founded industrial towns were very appealing. For this reason, houses as well as industries drastically sprung up and were built side by side and no efforts were made for purposes of zoning or planning so to speak. People had to live within their places of work and thus they build their houses around the industries. Worse still, nobody seemed to care about the standards of building construction or even sanitation of the area. The haphazard construction of the houses and industries encouraged the spread of various diseases causing devastating outbreaks of typhoid and cholera in the industrial towns. Following the cholera epidemics that lead to loss of many lives, several commissions were formed to inquire on the causes and to give possible recommendation. Several reports were published suc h as the report by the Poor Law Commissioners in 1838and the Royal commission on the Health of Towns in 1842. These publication and other led to the enactment of a couple of legislations by parliament related to building construction in the country. Even though these Acts covered limited scope, as well as effects, they were significant in laying the basis of enduring legislative restrictions on the freedom of those who owned land to construct buildings as the deemed fit. A General Board of Health was established under the Public Health Act of 1848. This board was charged with the responsibility of ensuring that both the existing and new buildings provided