GLOSSARY
ACCESS FOR ALL: The development of land and buildings provides the opportunity to secure a more accessible environment for everyone, including wheelchair users and other people with disabilities, elderly people, and people with toddlers or infants in pushchairs.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Housing built for people who are unable to buy or rent a home suitable for their needs on the open market. It will be provided with a subsidy to enable the asking price or rent to be substantially lower than prevailing market rates. Most affordable housing will be provided through a registered social landlord, mainly in the form of housing for rent, although some shared-equity housing may be appropriate.
AGRICULTURAL DWELLING: A house or flat which is subject to, or proposed to be subject to, a legal limitation which specifies that its occupancy be limited to a person solely or mainly employed in agriculture, forestry or equestrian activities and his/her dependants.
AGRICULTURAL LAND CLASSIFICATION: Classification system which allows agricultural land to be graded from best (grade 1) to worst (grade 5) in a way which is consistent across the country.
ALLOCATION: Land identified in the Local Plan (with or without planning permission) for a particular land use.
AREA OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY: Area of high landscape value of national importance within which the conservation and enhancement of natural beauty is the priority. AONBs are designated on the advice of the Countryside Agency under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
BIODIVERSITY: Biodiversity is seen as the total complexity of all life, including not only the great variety of organisms, but also their varying behaviour and interactions.
BROWNFIELD SITE: Land which is or was occupied by a permanent structure and associated fixed surface infrastructure. The definition covers the curtilage of the development. It excludes land and buildings that are currently in use for agriculture or forestry purposes, and land in built-up areas which has not been developed previously such as parks, recreation grounds and allotments.
BUSINESS USES: Those uses in Part B of the Schedule of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) 1987 as amended. This applies to B1, B2 and B8 uses (see Use Classes Orders).
COLLEGIATE OXFORD: The University and College buildings of the old city.
COMMITMENTS: Proposals for development which are the subject of a current full or outline planning permission or unimplemented allocations in a local plan.
COMMUNITY FOREST: A national programme of major environmental improvements creating attractive well-wooded countryside around and within our towns and cities, providing a high quality environment for housing, employment, recreation and education.
CONSERVATION AREA: An area designated by the District Council under Section 69 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as an area of special architectural or historical merit, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance. There are additional controls over certain works carried out within a conservation area, e.g. total demolition of buildings.
COUNTRYSIDE: Areas outside the built-up areas of the settlements listed in policies GS1, GS3, H11 AND H12.
DESIGN STATEMENT: A statement prepared by an applicant to justify the design approach to a development scheme.
DEVELOPER CONTRIBUTIONS: New development may have a direct impact on the provision of existing community facilities. This may require the enhancement of existing facilities or the provision of entirely new facilities by the developer.
DEVELOPMENT: In a planning context this term means the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations in, on, over or under land. It includes the making of any material change in the use of any buildings or other land (as defined in Section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1990), as well as the redevelopment of land and buildings.
DEVELOPMENT BOUNDARIES: Defined edge to a built-up area, shown on the proposals map.
DEVELOPMENT PLAN: In Oxfordshire this consists of the Oxfordshire Structure Plan, the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan and local plans produced by District Councils.
EMPLOYMENT LAND: Relates to B1, B2 and B8 uses within the Town and Country Planning (use classes) order 1987 as amended.
ENVIRONMENTAL CORRIDORS: Green spaces that provide avenues for wildlife movement, often along streams, rivers or other natural features.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT: A procedure ensuring that environmental consequences of projects are identified and assessed before planning permission is given. The public can give its opinion and all results are taken into account.
ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS (ESA): Areas where the aim is to maintain and enhance the conservation of landscape and historical value of key environmental features, and where possible, improve public access to these areas, often through Countryside Stewardship agreements between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and local farmers.
EXPRESS CONSENT: Obtained from the local planning authority and required to display any advertisement which cannot be displayed with deemed consent.
FLOODPLAIN/FLOOD RISK ZONES: Areas identified by the Environment Agency, marking areas as high, low to medium, or little or no risk. These designations help establish where development should not be permitted.
GENERAL PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT ORDER: A set of Government regulations which provide a detailed list of the types of development which do not require planning permission.
GREEN BELT: Designated land around a town or city where land is kept permanently open and where there is a strong presumption against inappropriate development.
HABITABLE ROOMS: This includes bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, dining rooms, studies and playrooms, but not bathrooms, toilets, utility or storage rooms of limited size and with restricted windows, conservatories or sun rooms on the ground floor with fully glazed roofs and garages.
HIGHWAY AUTHORITY: In the Vale this is Oxfordshire County Council, except for trunk roads (A34) where it is the Highways Agency.
HOME ZONE: A street or group of streets designed primarily with the interests of pedestrians and cyclists rather than motorists, opening up the street for social use. Features often include traffic calming, shared surfaces, trees, benches and play areas.
INFILLING: The filling of an appropriate small gap in an otherwise built-up frontage.
INFRASTRUCTURE: All the ancillary works and services which are necessary to support human activities, including roads, sewers, schools, hospitals, etc.
LEGAL AGREEMENT: Agreements normally made under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 which confers special powers on local planning authorities to regulate land use by agreement. The agreements are entered into voluntarily between the authority and anybody with an interest in land in its area. These agreements are the main instrument for minimising the impact of development on the environment and the local community and requiring the provision of additional facilities where they are inadequate to service the development.
LIFETIME HOMES STANDARD: Design criteria which ensure that homes are designed flexibly enough to meet the needs of most households with a minimum of adaptation.
LISTED BUILDINGS: Buildings and structures which have been identified by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as being of special architectural and historic interest and whose protection and maintenance are the subject of special legislation. Their curtilage and setting is also protected. Listed building consent is required before any works are carried out on a listed building.
LOCAL PLAN INQUIRY: A formal public inquiry held to enable the planning authority to have objections to the Local Plan examined by an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State.
NORTH VALE CORALLIAN RIDGE: Locally designated area of high landscape quality where the protection of the visual qualities of the landscape is sought.
ORIGINAL DWELLING: The size of the original dwelling will be taken as that at October 1995. The measurements are to be made externally and will not include outbuildings. For dwellings built after this date it will be the size permitted by the original planning application.
OUTSTANDING PLANNING PERMISSION: A current planning permission that has not yet been implemented.
OXFORDSHIRE SITES AND MONUMENTS RECORD (SMR): A record of archaeological and other historic sites within Oxfordshire, held by the County Archaeologist.
OXFORDSHIRE STRUCTURE PLAN: Prepared by the County Council to provide a strategic policy framework for local plans and development control across the whole county.
OXFORDSHIRE WOODLAND PROJECT: A scheme established by the Oxfordshire Woodland Group which the Vale helps to fund. It operates through a Woodland Project Officer and helps to promote the management of small woods through provision of practical and professional advice.
PARKS AND GARDENS OF HISTORIC INTEREST: Parks and gardens listed in a register prepared and maintained by English Heritage. Like listed buildings, they are graded I, II* and II. By reason of their historic layout, features and architectural ornaments, the parks and gardens are considered to be of particular interest and quality.
PHYSIOGRAPHIC: The description of natural phenomena, or of a class of objections in natural geography.
PLANNING PERMISSION: New buildings, major alterations and enlargement of existing buildings and many changes of use of buildings and land require planning permission. An application for planning permission may be approved, subject to certain conditions or refused. The applicant has the right to appeal to the Secretary of State against any refusal or condition.
PLANNING POLICY GUIDANCE NOTES (PPGS): Guidance on general and specific aspects of planning policy issued by Central Government.
PLANNING POLICY STATEMENTS (PPSS): Updated guidance on general and specific aspects of planning policy issued by Central Government.
PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED LAND: See 'Brownfield Site'.
RENEWABLE ENERGY: Energy flows that occur naturally in the environment from the sun, wind, oceans, plants and the fall of water.
RURAL EXCEPTION SITES: A policy which allows planning permission to be granted within and adjoining existing villages which would not otherwise be permitted housing, in order to provide social housing to meet local needs. Schemes are only usually granted permission once a housing needs survey has identified a need.
SCHEDULED ANCIENT MONUMENT: Features of archaeological or historic interest, which are afforded special protection by the law to prevent damage or destruction.
SEQUENTIAL APPROACH: Commercial development should only be allowed where both need can be demonstrated and a sequential approach has been applied to site selection. First preference should be for town centre sites, followed by edge-of-centre sites, district and local centres and only then out-of-centre sites in locations that are accessible by a choice of means of transport.
SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE: Documents prepared to support and amplify policies in the Local Plan.
SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT: A system of assessment that considers and measures the wellbeing of people and the ecosystem together.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING (USE CLASSES) ORDER 1987, AS AMENDED: A set of Government regulations which define categories for different uses of land and building. Within each class the use for another purpose in the same class does not usually require planning permission. The categories are:
A1 Shops
A2 Financial and Professional Services
A3 Restaurants and Cafes
A4 Drinking Establishments
A5 Hot Food Takeways
B1 Business, including offices, research and development and light industry
B2 General Industrial
B8 Storage and Distribution
C1 Hotels
C2 Residential Institutions
C3 Dwelling Houses
D1 Non-Residential Institutions
D2 Assembly and Leisure
Sui Generis
TRAVEL PLAN: a package of practical measures to encourage staff and visitors to choose alternatives to single–occupancy car use, and to reduce the need to travel at all to their work.
TREE PRESERVATION ORDER: An order made by the local planning authority under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to protect a specific tree or group of trees against felling, lopping, topping or other damage. Trees within conservation areas have similar protection.
URBAN CAPACITY STUDY: Detailed study of urban areas to establish how much additional development could be accommodated within the built up areas.
VERNACULAR ARCHITECTURE OR BUILDING: A style of building which is historically used as the normal design in a particular region or locality, employing the use of local building materials.
VIEW CONE: Range or field of vision from a particular point.