New Local Plan - Issues & Options (Regulation 18)

Term

Description

Affordable Housing

Housing provided to eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. This can include social rented housing (target rents determined by national rent regime) and intermediate housing (rent above social rent but below market rates).

Article 4 Direction

Planning power used in exceptional circumstances by Local Authorities to protect heritage assets and their settings, such as in conservations areas, against inappropriate development under Permitted Development Rights; instead requiring planning permission to be sought.

Biodiversity

The whole variety of life encompassing all genetics, species and ecosystem variations, including plants and animals.

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is a way of creating and improving natural habitats. BNG makes sure development has a measurably positive impact ('net gain') on biodiversity, compared to what was there before development.

In England, biodiversity net gain (BNG) is becoming mandatory under Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as inserted by Schedule 14 of the Environment Act 2021).

Developers must deliver a biodiversity net gain of 10%. This means a development will result in more or better quality natural habitat than there was before development.

Blue Infrastructure

Blue infrastructure refers to blue landscape features such as rivers, canals, ponds, wetlands, floodplains, and water treatment facilities

Brownfield Land and Sites

See 'Previously Developed Land'.

Building Regulations

Statutory Instruments governing the standards required for buildings.

Climate Change

Long-term changes in temperature, precipitation, wind and all other aspects of the Earth's climate. Often regarded as a result of human activity and fossil fuel consumption.

Coalescence

The merging or coming together of separate towns or villages to form a single entity.

Conservation Area

Areas of special architectural or historic interest, designated under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, whose character and appearance should be preserved or enhanced.

Corporate Strategy

Harborough District Council's strategy covering all aspects of council operations.

Curtilage

The enclosed area of land around a house or other building.

Custom Build

Dwellings designed and built for or by individuals.

Density

In the case of residential development, a measurement of either the number of habitable rooms per hectare or the number of dwellings per hectare.

Development Plan

Is defined in section 38 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, and includes adopted local plans, neighbourhood plans that have been made and published spatial development strategies, together with any regional strategy policies that remain in force. Neighbourhood plans that have been approved at referendum are also part of the development plan, unless the local planning authority decides that the neighbourhood plan should not be made.

District Centre

Will usually comprise groups of shops often containing at least one supermarket or superstore, and a range of non-retail services, such as banks, building societies and restaurants, as well as local public facilities such as a library.

Duty to Cooperate

Duty to co-operate is required as some elements of planning such as the provision of infrastructure to support development, will require some form of cooperation between adjoining local authorities. The duty applies to local authorities and other public bodies involved in plan making.

Evidence Base

The information and data gathered by local authorities to justify the "soundness" of the policy approach set out in Local Development Documents, including physical, economic, and social characteristics of an area.

Functional Economic Market Area (FEMA)

The functional area over which the local economy and its key markets operate. Key economic markets broadly correspond to sub-regions or city regions - known as functional economic market areas (FEMAs).

Geodiversity

Geodiversity incorporates all the variety of rocks, minerals and landforms and the processes which have formed these features throughout geological time.

Green Infrastructure (GI)

The open environment within urban areas, the urban fringe and the countryside which comprises of a network of connected, high quality, multi-functional open spaces, corridors and the links in between that provide multiple benefits for people and wildlife.

Green Wedge

Green Wedges comprise the open areas around and between parts of settlements, which maintain the distinction between the countryside and built up areas, prevent the coalescence (merging) of adjacent places and can also provide recreational opportunities.

Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA)

An assessment looking into detailed information about local Gypsies and Travellers which aims to generate reliable estimates of future accommodation.

Housing and Economic Needs Assessment (HENA)

Report produced for the Leicester and Leicestershire Housing Market Area (HMA) to identify the required housing and employment growth for each Local Authority Area.

Housing Market Area (HMA)

The administrative area covered by the City Council and the District Councils in Leicestershire make up the HMA.

Infrastructure

Basic services necessary for development to take place, for example, roads, electricity, sewerage, water, education and health facilities.

Large Village

The settlement has a good range of important and supporting services and facilities, including a local supermarket, public transport and access to employment opportunities either in the settlement or in the nearby Urban Area. It meets the day to day needs of residents and serves surrounding rural communities.

Listed Building

A building of special architectural or historic interest. Listed buildings are graded I, II* or II with grade I being the highest. Listing includes the interior as well as the exterior of the building, and any buildings or permanent structures within the curtilage of the Listed Building (e.g. wells within its curtilage).

Local Centre

Include a range of small shops of a local nature, serving a small catchment. Typically local centres might include, amongst other shops, a small supermarket, a newsagent, a sub-post office and a pharmacy. In rural areas, large villages may perform the role of a local centre.

Local Development Scheme (LDS)

The local planning authority's three year programme and timetable for the preparation of Local Development Documents.

Local Green Space

Local Green Space designation is a way to provide special protection against development for green areas of particular importance to local communities.

Local Housing Need (LHN)

The number of homes identified as being needed through the application of the standard method set out in national planning guidance (or, in the context of preparing strategic policies only, this may be calculated using a justified alternative approach as provided for in the NPPF).

Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Localism Act 2011

The Localism Act 2011 is an Act of Parliament that changes the powers of local government in England. The aim of the act is to facilitate the devolution of decision-making powers from central government control local communities.

Major Development

The Government defines major development in terms of a planning application as 10 or more dwellings or the site has an area of 0.5 ha or more. For non-residential development, it means additional floorspace of 1,000sq.m or more, or a site area of 1 ha or more.

Market Town

The settlement has a recognised town centre with an extensive range of higher order, important and supporting services and facilities which meets all day to day needs of residents and serves a wide geographic catchment area. There are good road and public transport links along with wide ranging employment opportunities.

Masterplan

A document that sets out the broad development proposals for a site or area.

Medium Village

The settlement has a reasonable range of the important and supporting services and facilities. It can meet most day to day needs of its residents and potentially those of neighbouring villages. It lacks employment opportunities. The village is served by a scheduled bus service.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

The NPPF acts as guidance for local planning authorities and decision-takers, both in drawing up plans and making decisions about planning applications.

Neighbourhood Plans or Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDP)

Neighbourhood Development Plans, introduced in the Localism Act 2011, become part of the Local Plan and the policies contained within them are then used in the determination of planning applications. Plans are "made" following an examination by a Planning Inspector and a referendum of the local community.

Open Space

All space of public value, including public landscaped areas, playing fields, parks and play areas, and also including not just land, but also areas of water such as rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs, which can offer opportunities for sport and recreation or can also act as a visual amenity and a haven for wildlife.

Other Village/ Hamlet

The settlement has few, if any, of the services and facilities needed to meet the day to day needs of residents.

Passive design

Passive design relies on using natural light and warmth from the sun to warm and light a building. In general, the building would not require a heating or cooling system.

Permitted Development Rights (PDR)

Where the need for planning permission is removed, subject to Local Authority conditions and the terms set out in the Town and Country Planning Act, 1990.

Pitch

Area of land on a Gypsy and Traveller caravan site developed for a single family (a group of related people who live and/or travel together - assumed to be the basic unit when assessing accommodation requirements). A single pitch will often need to contain more than one caravan.

Previously Development Land (PDL) or Brownfield Land

Previously developed land is that which is or was occupied by a permanent structure (excluding agricultural or forestry buildings) and associated fixed-surface infrastructure. The definition covers the curtilage of the development. (The NPPF has a more detailed definition.)

Renewable Energy

Energy that is derived from a source that does not run out. These include solar, wind, wave, hydro and biomass.

Rural Exception Site/ Policy

A development plan or Development Plan Document may allocate small sites within rural areas solely for affordable housing, which would not otherwise be released for general market housing.

Sequential Test

A test that development to sites in a specific order e.g. for flooding development is directed first to low flood risk areas; for retail development is directed to town centres first.

Settlement adjoining Urban Area

While the settlement has a range services and facilities contributing to meeting the day to day needs of residents, it adjoins the Urban Area (i.e. the built-up area of Leicester) and benefits from proximity and access to a wide range of higher order services, facilities and employment opportunities.

Small Village

The settlement has a limited range of important and supporting services and facilities. It can contribute to meeting some of its residents' day to day needs.

Starter Homes

Is as specified in sections 2 and 3 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and any secondary legislation made under these sections. The definition of a starter home should reflect the meaning set out in statute and any such secondary legislation at the time of plan-preparation or decision-making. Where secondary legislation has the effect of limiting a household's eligibility to purchase a starter home to those with a particular maximum level of household income, those restrictions should be used.

Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA)

A Strategic Flood Risk Assessment is a study carried out by one or more local planning authorities to assess the risk to an area from flooding from all sources, now and in the future, taking account of the impacts of climate change, and to assess the impact that land use changes and development in the area will have on flood risk.

Strategic Growth Plan

A non-statutory, long term over-arching plan which sets out the aspirations for delivering growth. Acts as a strategic planning framework for an area, meaning local authorities take the plan into account when developing their Local Plans.

Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA)

A document that identifies sites and assesses their potential for housing and/or employment development and when they are likely to be built.

Strategic Storage and Distribution

Commercial buildings in B8 Class Storage and Distribution use (often referred to as warehouses) as defined by the Town and Country (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended) where the individual unit size is over 9,000sq.m. (or approximately 100,000sq.ft.), this being a standard recognised definition within the commercial property sector.

Sustainability Appraisal (SA)

A process by which the economic, social and environmental impacts of a project, strategy or plan are assessed. The aim of the appraisal process is to minimise adverse impacts and resolve as far as possible conflicting or contradictory outcomes of the plan or strategy.

Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development

At a very high level, the objective of sustainable development can be summarised as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Resolution 42/187 of the United Nations General Assembly). Members of the United Nations - including the United Kingdom - have agreed to pursue the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development in the period to 2030. These address social progress, economic well-being and environmental protection.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)

Town Centre

Usually, the 2nd level of centres after city centres and, in many cases, they will be the principal centre in a Local Authority's area. In rural areas they are likely to be market towns and other centres of similar size and role which function as important service centres, providing a range of facilities and service for extensive rural catchment areas.

Urban Fringe

The urban fringe is the transitional area between urban areas and the countryside. It can provide a valuable resource for the provision of sport and recreation, particularly in situations where there is an absence of land within urban areas to meet provision.

Use Class Order

The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes Order),1987, as amended, specifies various classes of use for buildings or land. Within each class the use for another purpose of the same class does not require planning permission.

Water Stress

Water stress occurs when demand for drinking water is high, or projected to grow significantly, and the amount of rainfall is insufficient to meet demand.