영국의 도시계획과 건축규제에 관한 공법적 연구

영국의 도시계획과 건축규제에 관한 공법적 쟁점을 연구했다.

In the fields of architecture and town planning, town planning is understood as the process of organizing and shaping the form of a city. According to this understanding, architecture is one of the spatial or physical elements that shape a city, so architectural planning can be considered as a part of town planning. In the field of construction law, however, town planning needs to be understood differently from the way it is understood in the fields of architecture and town planning.

This is because town planning, as a legal system, should establish standards and requirements to be considered during the building permit stage, in order to ensure legal stability for those who want to construct a building. When the administrative body establishes these standards and requirements and examines whether the architectural plan complies with them, this is called building control. The town planning system of each country may vary depending on the building control system adopted by that country. The central principle underpinning the UK’s town planning system is flexibility.

For historical reasons, the UK has developed a town planning system that can respond quickly and appropriately to rapid social change. The development plan, which covers the whole city, primarily sets out long-term, abstract land use and development strategies and policies. At the planning permission stage, where architectural plans are examined, the local planning authority has the discretion to make additional town planning decisions. These decisions may include specifying details of the abstract development plan, modifying existing building controls and introducing new building controls by having regard to material considerations beyond the development plan.

Ultimately, planning permission in the UK functions similarly to a building permit in Korea, as it authorises the architectural plan while also serving as a practical mechanism for town planning, determining specific building controls on a parcel-by-parcel basis. However, unlike Korea’s building permit, the UK's planning permission does not grant approval for carrying out construction work. Therefore, even if an individual obtains planning permission, they must separately obtain building control approval under building regulations to legally proceed with construction.

Since the development plan primarily sets out abstract land use and development strategies and policies, specific building controls are determined only after the planning permission is granted. As a result, even if the development plan does not fully reflect social changes or regional characteristics, the local planning authority has the ability to make appropriate town planning decisions at the stage of planning permission by exercising broad discretionary powers. These powers are similar to those in Korean town planning, enabling the local planning authority to shape land use and development policies as if establishing the development plan.

Additionally, applicants for planning permission have the opportunity to present a variety of creative architectural plans. However, the flexibility of the UK's town planning system does not always lead to positive outcomes. Applicants for planning permission are required to prepare architectural plans in advance, despite facing difficulties in predicting how the local planning authority will exercise its broad discretion. This broad discretion, which is essentially equivalent to that exercised in Korean town planning, may undermine legal stability.

On the other hand, in the UK, administrative authority over development plans and planning permissions is, in principle, held by local planning authorities which are well-informed and able to reflect the specific characteristics and current conditions of the local area. However, certain matters that ought to be addressed through town planning are of national importance or are trans-regional issues that involve two or more local planning authorities, and therefore require central government intervention. To address this, the UK has introduced a development order as a form of administrative legislation, allowing the Minister to exercise some or all of the planning permission powers directly.

The development order does not require the public participation or representation procedures mandated for the development plan and planning permission. In the area of town planning, where various conflicting interests are involved, strong town planning powers such as development orders should be exercised only in exceptional circumstances. However, the Town and Country Planning Act does not impose specific limitations on the instances in which development orders can be used. Consequently, different types of town planning with different purposes and functions operate under a single format and procedure, the development order. 건축과 도시계획 분야에서 도시계획은 도시의 조직과 형태를 계획하는 행위로 이해된다.

이러한 이해에 따르면 건축물은 도시를 구성하는 공간적 내지 물리적 요소 중 하나이므로 건축계획을 그리는 설계 행위 역시 도시계획의 일부로 볼 수 있다. 그러나 건설법의 영역에서 도시계획은 건축과 도시계획 분야에서 이해되는 것과 달리 이해될 필요가 있다. 법제도로서 도시계획은 건축물을 건축하려는 자에게 법적 안정성을 보장하기 위해 건축허가 단계에서 고려해야 할 기준과 충족해야 할 요건을 설정하는 기능을 수행하여야 하기 때문이다. 행정주체가 이러한 기준과 요건을 설정하고 건축계획이 이에 부합하는지 여부를 심사하는 행위를 건축규제라고 하면, 각 나라의 도시계획 제도는 그 나라가 채택한 건축규제 체계에 따라 달라질 수 있다. 영국의 도시계획 제도를 관통하는 주요 표제는 유연성이다. 영국은 연혁적인 배경에서 급격한 사회 변화에도 신속하고 적절히 대응할 수 있는 도시계획 제도 운영을 목표로, 도시 전역을 대상으로 하는 ‘개발계획’ (development plan) 단계에서는 주로 장기적인 토지 이용 및 개발 방향이 추상적으로 제시되도록 하였다. 그리고 건축계획을 심사하는 ‘계획허가’ (planning permission) 단계에서는 계획허가권자가 개발계획뿐만 아니라 다른 중요한 사항을 고려하여 추상적인 개발계획의 내용을 구체화하거나 또는 기존의 건축규제를 수정하고 새로운 건축규제를 추가하는 등 또다른 도시계획적 결정을 내릴 수 있도록 하였다.

결국 영국에서 계획허가는, 건축계획을 허가하는 우리나라 건축허가와 유사한 기능을 수행하는 동시에 필지 단위로 구체적인 건축규제를 결정하는 실질적인 의미의 도시계획으로 기능한다고 볼 수 있다. 그러나 우리나라 건축허가와 달리 영국 계획허가에는 건축공사를 허가하는 내용이 포함되지 않으므로 계획허가를 받은 자라도 실제로 건축공사를 할 수 있으려면 별도로 건축법상 '건축허가'(building control approval)을 받아야 한다. 개발계획이 주로 추상적인 규율을 제시하고 계획허가를 통해 비로소 구체적인 건축규제가 결정되므로, 개발계획이 사회 변화나 지역 특성을 제대로 반영하지 못하고 있는 경우에도 계획허가권자는 실질적으로 도시계획을 수립하는 것과 같이 우리나라 계획재량에 준하는 광범위