The UK (and particularly England) is the among the most centralised countries in Europe. The overwhelming amount of local government funding comes from central

The UK (and particularly England) is the among the most centralised countries in Europe. The overwhelming amount of local government funding comes from central government, with local taxation being a small fraction. This means there's very little incentive for local governments to approve development, because they don't see the financial benefits but do have to fund local services, and they're the ones that get blamed by NIMBYs.