Identifying interest groups in the London green belt and their effect on local plans

The present research looks into the plan review of local authorities in the London green belt. Previous research has implied that the planning of the green belt is dominated by conflict between groups that try to influence the system. Specifically, we aim to question this, by identifying which groups influence policy-making, and the local planning process. The results of the research are as follows. We show that despite the higher participation of the local groups, their influence is significantly less. That regional groups appear to have the highest levels of participation and influence on the planning process. Finally, we show that sooner than being in direct conflict, the regional groups share similar opinions about the green belt. This finding contrasts with previous studies by showing that the interaction of the groups is more complex than expected.