Affordable Housing: Definition from the NPPF (page 67)
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/or is for essential local workers); and which complies with one or more of the following definitions:
Ancient or veteran tree: A tree which, because of its age, size and condition, is of exceptional biodiversity, cultural or heritage value. All ancient trees are veteran trees. Not all veteran trees are old enough to be ancient but are old relative to other trees of the same species. Very few trees of any species reach the ancient life-stage.
Ancient Woodland: a woodland which has existed since the year 1600 or earlier.
Dorset National Landscape (previously Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty): an area with statutory national landscape designation, the primary purpose of which is to conserve and enhance natural beauty. Together with National Parks, Dorset National Landscapes represent the nation's finest landscapes. DNLs are designated by Natural England.
Archaeological interest: There will be archaeological interest in a heritage asset if it holds, or potentially holds, evidence of past human activity worthy of expert investigation at some point.
Article 4 Direction: A direction made by a local planning authority under Article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, which withdraws permitted development rights granted by that Order.
Asset of Community Value: Is a building or land that has a main use or purpose of furthering the social wellbeing or social interests of the local community. Once listed as an ACV with the local authority, the local community will be informed if they are listed for sale within the five year listing period. The community can then enact the Community Right to Bid which gives them a holding period of 6 months to raise finance to purchase the asset on the open market.
Biodiversity: is the term used to describe the whole variety of life on Earth. It includes not only all species of plants and animals, but also the complex ecosystems they live within. It ranges from species and habitats which are considered commonplace to those considered critically endangered.
Brownfield Land and Sites: Previously developed land which is or was occupied by a permanent structure, including the curtilage of the developed land and any associated fixed surface infrastructure.
Climate change adaptation: Adjustments made to natural or human systems in response to the actual or anticipated impacts of climate change, to mitigate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities.
Climate Change Emergency: A declaration by local authorities and countries, which states that urgent action needs to be taken to slow the progress of climate change. An affirmation that the struggle against climate change is an emergency and needs to be treated as such.
Climate change mitigation: Action to reduce the impact of human activity on the climate system, primarily through reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL): a tax on certain forms of development to contribute to local infrastructure.
County Geological Site: sometimes also called a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS) County Geological Site. The geological or geomorphological equivalent of a CWS. They are non-statutory and identified by a group of experts.
County Wildlife Site (CWS): an area of significance for its wildlife in at least a county context i.e. it may be of county, regional or even national importance.
CROW Act: The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) applies to England and Wales only. The Act provides for public access on foot to areas of open land comprising mountain, moor, heath, down, and registered common land; amends the law relating to public rights of way; increases protection for Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and strengthens wildlife enforcement legislation; and provides for better management of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Curtilage: The area normally within the boundaries of a property surrounding the main building and used in connection with it.
Defined Development Boundary: A Defined Development Boundary (DDB) is a ‘planning tool’ which seeks to control the distribution of development. Policy SUS2, in the West Dorset Weymouth and Portland Local Plan, indicates that within DDBs residential, employment and other developments will normally be permitted. It then goes on to explain that development outside DDBs will be “strictly controlled” and restricted to a limited number of specific types of development.
Development Plan: The Development Plan includes the extant Local Plan and the appropriate Neighbourhood Plan.
Development Plan Documents (DPDs): The suite of documents that form the Development Plan for the local planning area. DPDs must include a Core Strategy and Proposals Map but may also include other documents such as a site allocations document.
Design Code: A set of illustrated design requirements that provide specific, detailed parameters for the physical development of a site or area. The graphic and written components of the code should build upon a design vision, such as a masterplan or other design and development framework for a site or area.
Economically Active: Persons in work or actively seeking work.
First Homes: are the Government’s preferred discounted market tenure and should account for at least 25% of all affordable housing units delivered by developers through planning obligations.
Flood Risk Assessment: An assessment of the likelihood of flooding in a particular area so that development needs, and mitigation measures can be carefully considered.
Flood Zones: have been created by the Environment Agency to be used within the planning process as a starting point in determining how likely somewhere is to flood. A flood zone is predominantly a planning tool and doesn’t necessarily mean somewhere will or will not flood.
General Permitted Development Order (GPDO): The Town and Country Planning GPDO 2015 provides permitted development rights for a specified range of development, meaning that those activities do not require an application for planning permission. However, agricultural buildings and certain telecommunications equipment covered by permitted development rights are also subject to a prior approval procedure.
Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA): A HRA tests the impacts of a proposal on nature conservation sites of European importance and is a requirement under EU legislation for land use plans and projects.
Heritage Asset: A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest. It includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing).
Infill Development: The development of a relatively small gap between existing buildings.
Infrastructure: Permanent resources serving society’s needs, including roads, sewers, schools, hospitals, railways, communication networks etc.
Landscape Character Area (LCA): Single unique areas that are the discrete geographical area of a specific landscape type.
Listed Buildings: Buildings which have been recognised by Historic England (formerly English Heritage) as having special architectural or historic interest.
Local Green Space: Green areas of particular importance to local communities, which meet the criteria of the NPPF (para. 106), designated as ‘local green space’ to provide special protection against development.
Local Plan: A portfolio or folder of documents (Development Plan Documents (DPDs) and Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs), setting out the planning strategy for a local planning authority area.
Local Planning Authority (LPA): The public body whose duty it is to carry out specific planning functions for a specific area. All references to local planning authority apply in this Plan to Dorset Council.
Lower Super Output Area (LSOAs): Geographical areas designed to improve the reporting of small area statistics in England and Wales.
Marine Conservation Zone: Areas designated by Government under the Marine & Coastal Access Act 2009 for the purposes of conserving: (a) marine flora or fauna; (b) marine habitats or types of marine habitat; (c) features of geological or geomorphological interest.
Marine Management Organisation: an executive non-departmental public body established and given powers under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to make a significant contribution to sustainable development in the marine area and to promote the UK government’s vision for clean, healthy, safe, productive, and biologically diverse oceans and seas.
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF): The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the Government's planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied. It provides a framework within which local people and their accountable councils can produce their own distinctive local and neighbourhood plans.
Neighbourhood Plan: A plan prepared by a town or Town Council or a neighbourhood forum for a specific neighbourhood area.
PPG, Planning Practice Guidance: a web-based resource which brings together planning guidance on various topics into one place.
Permissive Paths: It is possible for landowners to allow access over their land without dedicating a right of way. These accesses are called permissive paths.
Permissive Paths: It is possible for landowners to allow access over their land without dedicating a right of way. These accesses are called permissive paths.
Planning Obligation: A legally enforceable obligation entered into under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to mitigate the impacts of a development proposal.
Principal Residence or Home: That occupied as the residents’ sole or main residence where the resident spends the majority of their time when not working away from home.
Public Right of Way: a highway over which the public have a right of access along the route.
Qualifying Body: Either a parish/town council or neighbourhood forum, which can initiate the process of neighbourhood planning.
Ramsar sites: Wetlands of international importance, designated under the 1971 Ramsar Convention.
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 biomass and deep geothermal heat. Low carbon technologies are those that can help reduce emissions (compared to conventional use of fossil fuels).
Rural Exception Sites: Small sites used for affordable housing in perpetuity where sites would not normally be used for housing. Rural exception sites seek to address the needs of the local community by accommodating households who are either current residents or have an existing family or employment connection. Small numbers of market homes may be allowed at the local authority’s discretion, for example where essential to enable the delivery of affordable units without grant funding.
Section 106: The section of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 that provided for the creation of planning obligations, now replaced by Section 46 of the 2004 Act. Section 106 agreements allow local authorities to ensure that developers provide the infrastructure needed to support new developments. Often referred to as “planning gain”.
Social Housing: The terms social housing and registered provider are defined in the 2023 Social Housing Act. ‘Social housing includes low-cost rental (such as affordable rent properties) and low-cost home ownership (such as shared ownership). Registered providers of social housing include local authority landlords and private registered providers (such as not-for-profit housing associations, co-operatives, and for-profit organisations).’ More colloquially, social housing refers to low-cost housing for rent from local councils or housing associations either at a Social Rent or Affordable Rent.
Special Area of Conservation (SAC): Protected sites designated under the EC Habitats Directive. Article 3 of the Habitats Directive requires the establishment of a European network of important high-quality conservation sites that will make a significant contribution to conserving the 189 habitat types and 788 species identified in Annexes I and II of the Directive (as amended).
Special Protection Area (SPA): Sites providing statutory protection for rare, threatened, or vulnerable bird species and also for regularly occurring migratory species.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI): Sites providing statutory protection for the best examples of the UK’s flora, fauna, or geological or physiographical features. These sites are also used to underpin other national and international nature conservation designations.
Stepping Stones: Pockets of habitat that, while not necessarily connected, facilitate the movement of species across otherwise inhospitable landscapes.
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA): A procedure (set out in the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004) which requires the formal environmental assessment of certain plans and programmes which are likely to have significant effects on the environment.
SuDS: A solution which manages surface and groundwater sustainably by mimicking natural drainage regimes and avoiding the direct channelling of surface water through networks of pipes and sewers to nearby watercourses. SuDS aim to reduce surface water flooding, improve water quality, and enhance the amenity and biodiversity value of the environment.
Supplementary Planning Document (SPD): Documents which add further detail to the policies in the Local Plan. They can be used to provide further guidance for development on specific sites, or on specific issues, such as design. Supplementary planning documents are capable of being a material consideration in planning decisions but are not part of the development plan.
Sustainability Appraisal (SA): The consideration of policies and proposals to assess their impact on sustainable development objectives.
Sustainable Development: development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainable transport modes: Any efficient, safe and accessible means of transport with overall low impact on the environment, including walking and cycling, ultra-low and zero emission vehicles, car sharing and public transport.
Tree Preservation Order: A mechanism for securing the preservation of single or groups of trees of acknowledged amenity value. A tree subject to a tree preservation order may not normally be topped, lopped or felled without the consent of the local planning authority.
Use Classes: The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 put uses of land and buildings into various categories. Planning permission is not needed for changes of use within the same use class.
Wildlife Corridor: Areas of habitat connecting wildlife populations.
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