.png){kind=logo}
Frequently asked questions
Glossary
Term
Definition
Affordable Housing
Housing for sale or rent, for those whose needs are not met by the market (including housing that provides a subsidised route to home ownership and / is for essential local workers).
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.
Density
Density is either defined in terms of the number of units or the number of habitable rooms per hectare.
Greenfield Land
Land that has not been previously developed.
Green Belt Land
The Green Belt designation is a planning tool where the aim of the policy is to prevent urban sprawl, prevent neighbouring towns merging, assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment, preserve the setting and special character of historic towns, and in this way preserving openness.
Landscape-led
Landscape-led development prioritises the landscape as the guiding element in shaping the built environment. In landscape-led developments, the natural features and ecology are considered fundamental factors in the planning and design process. The approach places emphasis on creating sustainable and resilient places that complement their surroundings.
Open Space
All open space of public value, including not just land, but also areas of water (such as rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs) which offer important opportunities for sport and recreation and can act as visual amenity.
Planning Condition
A condition imposed on a grant of planning permission (in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) or condition included in a Local Development Order or Neighbourhood Development Order.
Planning Obligation
A legal agreement entered into under S106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to mitigate the impacts of a development proposal.
Renewable and Low-carbon Energy
Includes energy for heating and cooling as well as generating electricity. Renewable energy covers those energy flows that occur naturally and repeatedly in the environment – from the wind, the fall of water, the movement of the oceans, from the sun and also from the biomass and deep geothermal heat. Low carbon technologies are those that can help reduce emissions (compared to conventional use of fossil fuels).
Sustainable Urban Drainage (SUDS)
SUDS are drainage solutions that provide an alternative to the direct channelling of surface water through networks of pipes and sewers to nearby watercourses.
Transport Assessment
A comprehensive and systematic process that g sets out transport issues relating to a proposed development. It identifies measures required to improve accessibility and safety for all modes of travel, particularly for alternatives to the car such as walking, cycling and public transport, and measures that will be needed to deal with the anticipated transport impacts of the development.
Tree Protection Order (TPO)
A TPO (Tree Protection Order) is a legal mechanism used by local authorities in the UK to protect specific trees, groups of trees, or woodlands that have significant amenity value.