| Ancient Woodland |
| Woods which have had continuous woodland cover since at least
1600AD, and which have only been cleared for underwood or timber
production. Provisional inventories of these woods have been
produced by English Nature and are available at its regional
offices. |
| Aquifer |
| Natural underground water reservoir. |
| Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) |
| Areas of high visual quality designated by the Countryside
Commission as being of national importance. Wealden District
covers parts of the Sussex Downs AONB and parts of the High
Weald AONB. |
| Article 4 Direction |
| This provides the Council with powers in specific cases to
withdraw the benefit of permitted development status granted
under the General Development Order (see also General Development
Order and Permitted Development). These generally require the
approval of the Secretary of State. However, the Council itself
may approve a direction under Article 4(2) which removes certain
permitted development rights from dwellinghouses within Conservation
Areas for such development which fronts a highway, waterway
or open space. |
| Biomass |
| The mass, usually defined by dry weight, of all living organisms
in an area or ecosystem. |
| Brownfield (or Previously Developed) Land |
| Land which is or was occupied by a permanent structure (excluding
agricultural or forestry buildings) and associated fixed surface
infrastructure. The definition includes residential gardens
but does not include parks, recreation grounds and allotments
(see Annex C of PPG3, Housing). |
| Business Uses |
| Uses falling within Class B of the Town and Country Planning
(Use Classes) Order 1987, including as offices (other than professional
or financial services) for the research and development of products
or processes, any industrial process, or storage or distribution. |
| Circular |
| Government statement which, together with Planning Policy
Guidance Notes, provides advice and guidance on matters of policy
and procedure. |
| Conditions |
| Steps required to be taken or limitations imposed when planning
permission is granted for development. |
| Conservation Areas |
| Areas defined as being of special architectural or historic
interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable
to preserve or enhance, and designated as such under the Planning
(Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. |
| Convenience Goods |
| Day to day purchases, such as food, grocery, confectionery,
tobacco and newspapers. |
| The Council |
| Wealden District Council. |
| The County Council |
| East Sussex County Council. |
| Deemed Consent |
| Certain 'classes' of outdoor advertisement can normally be
displayed, within certain limits on their size and height, without
application being made to the Council. These advertisements
have what is called 'deemed consent' for their display. |
| DETR |
| The former Department of the Environment, Transport and the
Regions. In 2001, its responsibilities were taken over by the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department
for Transport, Local Government and the Regions |
| Developer contributions |
| See Legal Agreements |
| Development |
| The carrying out of building, engineering and mining or other
operations in, on, over or under land, or the making of any
material change in the use of any building or other land. |
| Development Boundary |
| These define the areas where, in principle, new development
would be permitted subject to the policies and proposals in
the Local Plan. |
| DTLR |
| The former Department for Transport, Local Government and
the Regions. In 2002, its responsibilities were taken over by
the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department for
Transport. |
| Durable or Comparison Goods |
| Clothing, footwear, household goods and other non-food items. |
| Ecosystem |
| A community of interacting organisms and their physical environment. |
| Environment Agency |
| A Government agency set up with effect from April 1996, assuming
the responsibilities for environmental matters previously held
by the National Rivers Authority, HM Inspectorate of Pollution,
and the Waste Regulation Authorities. |
| Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) |
| For certain projects, the Town and Country Planning (Assessment
of Environmental Effects) Regulations 1988 require a formal
assessment to be carried out before planning permission may
be granted. The regulations set out the type of projects where
an Environmental Statement is required. |
| Express Consent |
| If an advertisement does not benefit from the provisions for
deemed consent (see above), the Council's 'express consent'
is required before it can be displayed. |
| Fluvial Floodplain |
| Area liable to flooding by a river. |
| |
| General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) |
| Legislation outlining planning procedures for the control
of development. It excludes certain types of development from
the need to obtain planning permission (see also Article 4 Direction). |
| GOSE (Government Office for the South-East) |
| Represents central government in the South East and works
to influence, contract and develop government programmes and
initiatives at a regional and local level. |
| Greenfield Land |
| Land that has not previously been developed. |
| Greenway |
| A public right of way for pedestrians, cyclists and possibly
horse-riders, set in a landscaped corridor. |
| Groundwater |
| Water present in underground strata. |
| Heritage Coast |
| An area of coastline designated to promote coastline conservation
and enhance visitor enjoyment. |
| Housing Association |
| Non-profit making organisations receiving funds from Central
Government to provide housing for sale or rent for those in
need. |
| Housing Land Availability Studies |
| Between 1980 and 1999 the Government required County and District
Councils to produce studies which demonstrate that there is
enough housing land available over the next five years to meet
Plan requirements. However, PPG3, Housing, no longer requires
a five year supply of housing to be demonstrated. |
| Infilling |
| The filling of a small gap within a substantially built-up
frontage. |
| Infrastructure |
| The services that support a new development or a settlement
as a whole. These can range from hard engineering works, such
as roads and drains, to social infrastructure, such as schools,
surgeries and public transport. |
| Inter-Urban Route |
| A road, rail or bus route that connects towns and cities and
provides for travel between them. |
| Landscape Buffer |
| An area planted with trees and shrubs to create a natural
visual barrier. |
| Legal Agreement |
| A local planning authority may enter into an agreement with
an applicant in connection with a proposed development. The
agreement can contain provisions for the developer to carry
out, or contribute towards, specific additional works made necessary
by the development. |
| Listed Buildings |
| These are buildings of special architectural or historic interest,
classified in grades (1, 2*, 2) to show their relative importance.
The statutory list of such buildings is compiled by the Secretary
of State on the advice of English Heritage. A listed building
cannot be demolished, altered or extended without express consent
from the Council. |
| Local Development Framework (LDF) |
| The new framework for delivering the spatial planning strategy
for the District, introduced by the Planning and Compulsory
Purchase Act 2004. It comprises a portfolio of ‘Development
Plan Documents’ that will replace the Local Plan and the Structure
Plan. The Government expects all LDFs to be in place by June
2007. |
| Local Enterprise Agency |
| A public and privately funded, independent organisation set
up to assist and encourage the development of small businesses
within a defined area. |
| Local Nature Reserve |
| Any area of land designated by a local authority, in consultation
with English Nature, in order to protect its wildlife value
for the benefit of the local community. |
| Local Planning Authority |
| In Wealden, this is the District Council for Local Plan preparation
and development control, except in the case of mineral working
and waste disposal which are the responsibility of the County
Council. |
| Local Trust Reserves |
| Non-statutory nature reserves managed by the Sussex Wildlife
Trust. |
| Medieval Pale of the Ashdown Forest |
| An earth bank constructed in the 14th century to enclose a
royal hunting ground and now defines the area within which specific
Local Plan and Structure Plan policies apply. |
| Multi-Modal Studies |
| Transport-related studies commissioned by the Government to
look at the challenges and issues facing all modes of future
transport and how these might be addressed to serve the needs
of people business and the environment. |
| National Nature Reserve (NNR) |
| An area of land of national and sometimes international importance
for nature conservation, which is owned or leased by English
Nature or by a body approved by English Nature. |
| National Park |
| Areas designated by the Countryside Commission, the statutory
purpose of which is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty,
wildlife and cultural heritage, and to promote opportunities
for public understanding and enjoyment of their special qualities. |
| Officer Deputy Prime Minister |
| The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) was created
as a central department in its own right in May 2002. It is
responsible for policy on housing, planning, devolution, regional
and local government and the fire service. It also takes responsibility
for the Social Exclusion Unit, the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit
and the Government Offices for the Regions. |
| Parish Council |
| A third tier of local government established by the Local
Government Act 1972. Parish (and Town) Councils provide certain
services, such as allotments, playing fields and community halls,
and represent the interests of the local community to the District
Council. |
| Permitted Development (PD) |
| Developments for which there is no need to obtain planning
permission. These are specified in the General Permitted Development
Order. |
| Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 |
| The Act, which received Royal Assent on 13th May 2004, fundamentally
reforms the development plan system by introducing local development
frameworks to replace structure, local and unitary plans. |
| |
| Planning Brief |
| Guidance produced by the Council to indicate acceptable forms
of development for a specific site. |
| Planning Obligation |
| A legal agreement (under Section 106 of the Town and Country
Planning Act 1990) between a developer/landowner and the Council
over the use of land in any specified way. |
| Planning Policy Guidance Note (PPG) |
| Government guidance on planning policy issues which must be
taken into account, where relevant, in preparing development
plans and in decisions on planning applications. |
| Primary Route |
| A highway forming part of a nationally designated network
of roads suitable for long distance traffic between major centres. |
| Ramsar Convention |
| The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance
especially as Waterfowl Habitat. |
| Regional Planning Guidance (RPG) |
| RPG provides a regional spatial strategy within which local
authority development plans and local transport plans should
be prepared. Existing regional planning guidance for the South
East is contained in RPG9 and covers the period to 2016. RPG9
will become a statutory document under the terms of the Planning
and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. |
| |
| Regional Transport Strategy |
| As part of RPG9 published by the Government Office for the
South East in July 2004, the Strategy provides the spatial framework
for the preparation of Local Transport Plans as well as other
strategies and programmes, and is material to decisions on individual
planning applications and appeals. |
| Retail Warehouses |
| Large single level stores specialising in the sale of household
goods (such as carpets, furniture and electrical goods) and
bulky DIY items, catering mainly for car-borne customers and
often in out-of-centre locations. |
| Rural White Paper |
| Government document published in November 2000 that addresses
the issues and problems affecting rural areas. |
| “Service-Centre” Villages |
| Villages offering a range of shops and services that meet
the day to day needs of local residents and the wider rural
area. |
| Sheltered Housing |
| Housing for elderly or handicapped people requiring a degree
of support or assistance in their normal daily lives (usually
provided by a resident warden). |
| Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) |
| An area of land or water which in the opinion of English Nature
is of special interest by reason of its flora, fauna, geological
or physiographical features. Once notified of the presence of
an SSSI, owners and occupiers must consult with English Nature
before carrying out any potentially damaging operation. |
| South-Coast Multi-Modal Study (SoCoMMS) |
| Transport study (see Multi-Modal Studies) which identifies
and investigates the congestion, safety and environmental problems
caused by transport along the South Coast between Southampton
and Margate, and proposes measures aimed at resolving these
problems and improving access to regeneration areas and other
areas of economic activity. Part of this study focuses on south
Wealden. |
| The South East Plan |
| The name given to the regional spatial strategy for the South
East. The draft South East Plan has been prepared by the South
East England Regional Assembly to cover the period to 2026.
It will be a statutory document replacing current regional planning
guidance (RPG9) and, in due course, county structure plans.
Its remit will be wider than RPG9, covering issues such as health
and education as well as traditional planning issues such as
housing, transport and waste management. |
| Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) |
| Additional planning guidance which elaborates upon a particular
aspect of the development plan. It can take the form of design
guides or development briefs, or supplement other specific policies
in the Plan. A list of Council produced SPG can be found in
Appendix 7. |
| Special Protection Area (SPA) |
| A site identified as an important habitat for rare and vulnerable
birds by the EC Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. |
| Strategic Rail Authority |
| On 15 July 2004 the Government announced that the Strategic
Rail Authority would be wound up and its responsibilities passed
to Government and Network Rail. |
| The Structure Plan |
| East Sussex and Brighton & Hove Structure Plan 1991-2011.
Prepared by the County Council and Brighton & Hove Council,
it sets out policies for the development and other use of land
across the whole County and provides a guiding framework for
the preparation of Local Plans by the District and Borough Councils. |
| Sustainability |
| This means ensuring that in meeting its own requirements society
does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet
theirs. The principle of 'sustainable development' is concerned
with controlling and reducing damage to the environment, including
longer-term interests of preserving the ozone layer and finite
sources. |
| Targetted Programme of Improvements (TPI) |
| A Highways Agency programme which aims to address some of
the most pressing motorway and trunk road improvements. |
| Tidal Floodplain |
| Area with a theoretical risk of flooding from the sea. |
| Town Council |
| See Parish Council |
| Traffic Calming |
| Control of the speed and movement of traffic to reduce conflict
arising between pedestrians and vehicles by the introduction
of features such as road humps, pavement widening, new surface
materials, etc. |
| Tree Preservation Order (TPO) |
| TPOs are made on specific trees, groups of trees or woodlands
to prohibit their cutting, topping or lopping, except with the
express consent of the Council. |
| Trunk Road |
| A highway which forms part of the national system of routes
for long-distance traffic, and which is maintained by the Government's
Highways Agency. |
| 1987 Use Classes Order |
| Legislation which prescribes a number of broad 'classes of
use' within which change can take place without the need to
apply for planning permission. The most important classes are
shown in Appendix 4. |
| Urban Capacity Study |
| A study undertaken by the Council, and encouraged by the Government,
which establishes how much additional housing can be accommodated
within urban areas through the re-use of previously developed
and other land and buildings, and therefore how much greenfield
land may be needed for development. |
| Utilities |
| Business organisations performing a public service, i.e. water,
gas, electricity, etc. |
| Vernacular |
| Building style or materials common to a particular locality. |
| Windfall Sites |
| Sites coming forward and gaining planning permission but which
have not been specifically allocated or identified in the Local
Plan or any other planning document. |
