A

Adoptable Carriageway: Roads built to particular standards, which will be owned by the County Council. These roads must meet minimum guidelines in respect of width, junction design and access for refuse vehicles.

Adoption: The point at which the local planning documents are formally agreed after public consultation.

Affordable Housing: A common title for subsidised housing, key worker housing or rented accommodation for local people. These properties are typically owned by registered social landlords (RSL) or housing associations.

 

Amenity: An area of recreational landscape space surrounding a development.

 

Appeal: Planning applications that are refused or not decided upon within a designated timescale can be challenged to the Secretary of State for an independent evaluation of the planning application. Appeals can be heard informally or formally and are currently taking between six and fourteen months to be determined.

 

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB): An area where new development has to have due regard for its surroundings by way of the current landscaping and buildings. Whilst the designation does not preclude development, any proposal has to be sympathetic to this designation.

B

 

Backland: Commonly made up of rear gardens from residential properties. Backland is often approached via a narrow access way from a road opening up to a larger site to the rear. Developments on backland have inherent problems with overlooking, privacy, access and the disturbance of the existing character of the road with from which they are accessed.

Brownfield Sites: Any development land which has previously been developed or designated as having a previous use. Gardens that have not previously been developed are still recognised as Brownfield sites as they have been categorised as residential land.

Built Up Area: An area within which re-development is presumed to be permitted. Areas out this area are normally designated as Countryside (see Countryside Policy).

C

 

Change of Use: A formal request to alter the existing use of a building from one use class category to another.

 

Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs): These powers can be used by Local Government and Local Authorities to acquire property for means of enabling development work which are in the interest of the public.

 

Conditions: Planning permissions will have a number of conditions attached, ranging from the hours within which the builders can start work on a site to further information that needs to be supplied before the property can be built. Planning conditions can often carry significant cost implications or restrictions to the planning permission.

 

Contaminated Land: All previous uses of land contain some form of contamination, however most can be cleared up and removed off site. As more contentious sites are being developed, contamination issues are becoming more common and the cost of clearing up some of the most harmful pollutants is increasing significantly.

 

Controlled Parking Zones: Areas where parking is restricted as a way to discourage occupants of properties from owning or using cars.

 

Conservation Area: Typically used to preserve the setting of listed buildings or special character areas within towns and villages, with the intention to control any future development to ensure it compliments and does not detract from the existing setting.

 

Consultation: Large re-development proposals require various stages of public consultation in order that the needs and opinions of the local residents and occupants are considered.

 

County Highways Authority: County authorities responsible for design, maintenance and adoption of roads.

D

 

Density: Refers to the number of properties that are permitted on a set area of land. These densities are used to compare sites to assess the number of properties that may be suitable on the site.

 

Detailed Planning Application: Two types of planning application are possible, full and outline, with the full application supplying more information for the planners to consider. Full applications allow the Planners to consider an application in full, as details of internal layouts, external finishes and appearances are supplied.

 

Determination: The point at which a planning application is decided upon. Applicants can appeal to non-determination if a decision has not been given within a designated period.

 

Development Brief: On larger schemes a development brief is prepared, which is a result and continual explanation of the public consultation period. A development brief will give developers guidance on style, design and the extent of development that a major development site is suitable for.