Putting the country in English and Welsh town <i>and</i> country planning law

Abstract The Town and Country Planning Act 1932 (TCPA 1932) was the first planning Act in English law to include country within the legal scope of town planning. This transformed the scope of town planning, legally enabling planning and land administration on a local, regional and national level. Despite this, the TCPA 1932 has been overlooked by legal scholars, who mark the origins of modern planning with the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. This paper celebrates the legacies of the TCPA 1932, namely the inclusion of rural areas within planning legislation, and the centralised role of local authorities in effectuating planning practice, demonstrating how these principles continue to shape planning legislation into the present.