This article explores some of the constraints in fashioning a British planning practice which supports a particular kind of multicultural society. Its argument is that juridical principles enshrined in statute and legal practices can be congruent with, or contradictory to, public policy initiatives supporting multiculturalism, and that this is especially significant in regulatory practices, such as the British planning system, where juridical influence is, historically, strong. The article examines various juridical conceptions of difference and equality and their policy implications. An examination of a specific initiative to recognize cultural diversity follows. This concludes that juridical principles influential in British planning are inconsistent with the initiative, and a failure to address this issue in political and professional arenas has undermined its efficacy. Nevertheless, some progress may be possible, as discussed in the article's concluding sections.