Abstract. The number of private gated developments continues to grow in Britain, in apparent contradiction to the government's urban policy aims of developing balanced, sustainable, mixed communities. There has been no official recognition of the trend towards gated communities, nor any national debate about their desirability as a built or social form. Contradictory guidance is given to local authorities about the design priorities for new housing developments. A case study tracks the planning process of a gated Community in Sheffield in order to illustrate the problems of regulating this new form of housing. Interviews with key players in this development inform discussion about the supply and demand for gated communities, which are found to be influenced by globalised marketing trends for ideal housing types, and a pervasive fear of crime. The issues which are highlighted by the growth of gated communities in Britain demand more attention than can be provided by the current policy vacuum.