GLOSSARY

Affordable Housing
Housing subsidised in some way for people unable to rent or buy on the open housing market. The definition of ‘affordable housing’ includes key worker housing and shared ownership.

Amenity
A positive element or elements that contribute to the overall character or enjoyment of an area. For example, open land, trees, historic buildings and the inter-relationship between them, or less tangible factors such as tranquillity.

Annual Monitoring Report (AMR)
Produced by the Council to provide an assessment of the progress made against targets and the performance of policies. The monitoring period is April to March.

Arable Land
Arable land is a form of land use, meaning land that can be (and is) used for growing crops.

Biodiversity
The whole variety of life on earth. It includes all species of plant and animals, their genetic variation and the ecosystem of which they are a part.

Biofuels
Biofuel is any fuel that derives from biomass - recently living organisms, particularly wood. It is a renewable energy since the carbon in biofuels was recently extracted from atmospheric carbon dioxide by growing plants, so burning it does not result in a net increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

BREEAM / Eco-Home standard
Standards laid down for the design and building of businesses and homes to be more sustainable, including wildlife friendly design, use of recycled materials, and energy, heating and water conservation methods. The EcoHome standard is being replaced by the Code for Sustainable Homes, although the BREEAM standard for non-residential development remains valid.

Brownfield
Previously development land (PDL). In the sequential approach this is preferable to greenfield land. Previously-developed land is that which is or was occupied by a permanent structure (excluding agricultural or forestry buildings), and associated fixed surface infrastructure. The definition covers the curtilage of the development. Previously-developed land may occur in both built-up and rural settings. A precise definition is included in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: 'Housing'.

Built-up area boundaries
These identify the areas in the District of primary built form, rather than countryside. They identify the boundaries of sustainable settlements within which development, normally of Brownfield Land, may be appropriate, including infilling, redevelopment and conversions in accordance with Government guidance in PPG3 ‘Housing ‘ and sustainable development considerations including meeting local needs. They do not include a presumption for the development of greenfield land such as playing fields and other open space, indicated in PPG 17 ‘Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation’. Identified built-up area boundaries do not necessarily include all existing ‘developed’ areas or imply that any development is necessarily acceptable.

Building Regulations
Rules of a legal or statutory nature by which the manner and quality of buildings is controlled. They are designed to ensure public safety, health and minimum acceptable standards of construction. Part ‘L’ of the Building Regulations sets out standards for carbon emissions.

CHP (Combined Heat and Power)
A system (also called cogeneration) that involves the recovery of waste heat from electricity generation to form useful energy like useable steam or hot water. At the domestic scale CHP generators may be run on natural gas or on biomass. Micro-CHP units are able to supply peak heat and power demand to a single building or larger CHP systems run district heating schemes.

The Code for Sustainable Homes
The Code, which is replacing EcoHomes, measures the environmental performance and sustainability of a home against key design categories, such as energy , water use, construction materials. The rating relates to the 'whole home' as a complete package. The minimum standards for Code compliance have been set above the requirements of Building Regulations. New homes can achieve a rating on a scale of one to six 'Code Levels' depending on the standard achieved.

Community Facilities and Services
Facilities or services for the community, including open space, sport and recreational facilities, community halls or buildings, doctor’s surgeries, libraries, pubs, churches, and children’s play areas.

The Core Strategy
The Core Strategy sets out the key elements of the planning framework for the area. It is comprised of a spatial vision and strategic objectives for the area; a spatial strategy; core policies; and a monitoring and implementation framework with clear objectives for achieving delivery. Once adopted, all other Development Plan Documents must be in conformity with it.

District heating
Also known as ‘community heating’ describes heating systems which distribute steam or hot water to a number of buildings across a development or wider area and makes individual boilers unnecessary. Heat is generally provided from a CHP system.

Eco-Home
A sustainable, healthy and environmentally friendly home, using sustainable building methods, materials, energy, heating and water conservation methods.

Ecology
The interactions and relationships between plants, animals and their environment.

Employment Protection Zone (EMZ)
Commercial

Graywater recycling
Water conservation techniques involving the collection, storage, filtration and treatment and redistribution of water from sources such as bathing, laundry washing, and household cleaning.

Greenfield
Land which has not been developed before. Applies to most sites outside built-up area boundaries.

Habitat
The natural home or environment of a plant or animal.

Hectare
A unit of land area equivalent to 10,000 square metres or 0.01 of a square kilometre. One Hectare is approximately equal to 2.5 acres.

Historic Landscape Characterisation
An analysis of the countryside, that combines computer technology and the evidence from old maps to create a new, ‘broad brush’ digital map of historic landscape ‘character’. This is achieved by analysing land use and the various historical influences which have created today’s mosaic of fields, woods and other components of the landscape.

Home-Working
Businesses and workers who are not occupying purpose built accommodation.

Housing Needs Assessment
An assessment of housing needs in the local area. This assessment plays a crucial role in underpinning the planning policies relating to affordable housing. In addition, the information on local needs is required to determine the location of such housing and guide new investment.

Independent Examination
Undertaken on the ‘soundness’ of the Submission Local Development Framework Documents. The examination is held by an independent inspector appointed by the Secretary of State. The final report is binding on the Council. For Development Plan Documents an examination is held even if there are no representations.

Infrastructure
A collective term for services such as roads, electricity, sewerage, water, children’s services, health facilities and recycling and refuse facilities.

Key Workers
Essential public sector workers such as nurses, teachers and social workers.

Landscape Character Assessment
An assessment to identify different landscape areas which have a distinct character based on a recognisable pattern of elements, including combinations of geology, landform, soils, vegetation, land use and human settlement.

Local Development Document
The Local Development Framework will be partly comprised of the Local Development Document, prepared by the District Councils. These documents include the Statement of Community Involvement; Supplementary Planning Documents; and Development Plan Documents (being the Core Strategy, Site Allocations, Area Action Plans, Proposal Map, General Development Control Policies).

Local Development Framework
The Local Development Framework is not a statutory term, however it sets out, in the form of a ‘portfolio/folder’, the Local Development Documents which collectively deliver the spatial planning strategy for the local planning authority’s area. The Local Development Framework will be comprised of Local Development Documents, and Supplementary Planning Documents. The Local Development Framework will also include the Statement of Community Involvement, the Local Development Scheme and the Annual Monitoring Report.

Local Development Scheme
This is a public statement of the Council’s programme for the production of Local Development Documents. The scheme will be revised when necessary. This may either be as a result of the Annual Monitoring Report which should identify whether the Council has achieved the timetable set out in the original scheme or if there is a need to revise and/or prepare new local development documents.

Masterplan
A document outlining the use of land and the overall approach to the design and layout of a development scheme in order to provide detailed guidance for subsequent planning applications.

Mitigation Measures
These are measures requested/ carried out in order to limit the damage by a particular development/activity.

Mixed Use
Mixed use refers to the combining of retail/commercial and/or service uses with residential or office use in the same building or on the same site.

Pasture Land
A field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock.

Passive solar energy
Energy provided by a simple architectural design to capture and store the sun's heat. Examples include a garden greenhouse, or a south-facing window in a dwelling.

Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG)/Planning Policy Statements (PPS)
Central Government produce Planning Policy Guidance Notes, to be replaced by Planning Policy Statements which direct planning in the country.

Protected Species
Plant and animal species afforded protection under certain Government Acts and Regulations.

Rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is collecting water from roofs or clean hard standing instead of getting it from the mains or abstracting it from rivers or groundwater. The water is filtered and stored in a tank, either underground or in the roof space. The water is generally used for laundry, toilets and outside use rather than for drinking.

Renewable energy
Energy obtained from sources that are essentially inexhaustible, unlike, for example, the fossil fuels, of which there is a finite supply. Renewable sources of energy include wood (biomass), solar, wind and geothermal.

Registered Social Landlords
These are independent housing organisations registered with the Housing Corporation under the Housing Act 1996. Most are housing associations, but there are also trusts, co-operatives and companies.

Strategic Locations
Broad locations for major mixed-use development, including housing, identified within the West Sussex Structure Plan 2001-2016. The precise locations and boundaries mix of uses, and phasing of development to be identified in the relevant local plan i.e. in this District the Horsham District Local Development Framework.

Sustainable Development
In broad terms this means development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The Government has set out five guiding principles for sustainable development in its strategy “securing the future-UK Government strategy for sustainable development”. The five guiding principles, to be achieved simultaneously, are: Living within environmental limits; Ensuring a strong healthy and just society; Achieving a sustainable economy; Promoting good governance; and Using sound science responsibly.

Sustainability Appraisal (SA) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
The Planning and Compulsory Act 2004 requires Local Development Documents to be prepared with a view to contributing to the achievement of sustainable development. Sustainability appraisal is a systematic appraisal process. The purpose of sustainability appraisal is to appraise the social, environmental and economic effects of the strategies and policies in a Local Development Document from the outset of the preparation process. This will ensure that decisions are made that accord with sustainable development.

Supplementary Planning Document
A Supplementary Planning Document is a Local Development Document that may cover a range of issues, thematic or site specific, and provides further detail of policies and proposals in a 'parent' Development Plan Document.

Stakeholder
A party with an interest in an organisation, e.g. employees, customers, suppliers or the local community. This is due to the effect that the organisations activities will have on them, although they are a "third party" in that they are outside of the organisation.

It can also be used to describe people who will be effected by a project, or who can influence it, but who are not directly involved in doing the work.

Strategic Location
Broad Locations for major mixed-use development, including housing, identified within the West Sussex Structure Plan 2001-2016. The precise locations and boundaries mix of uses, and phasing of development to be identified in the relevant local plan i.e. in this District the Horsham District Local Development Framework.

Spatial Planning
Spatial planning goes beyond traditional land use planning to bring together and integrate policies for the development and use of land with other policies and programmes which influence the nature of places and how they function. This will include policies which can impact on land use, for example, by influencing the demands on or needs for development, but which are not capable of being delivered solely or mainly through the granting of planning permission and may be delivered through other means.

Tenure
Refers to the way in which a property is held e.g. freehold, leasehold, shared equity or rented.

Work Hub
A shared facility based which offers support and interaction between home-based and fledgling businesses.

Workspace
An area allocated for someone to work in, especially an office.

Zero Carbon
Buildings that produce net zero carbon dioxide emissions over the course of a year, taking into accountall the energy used in the building - for lighting, heating, cooling, cooking, running the appliances, and so on. Net zero carbon is achieved by generating energy from renewable sources (at the building or elsewhere on the development site) to offset the energy used by the building and its occupiers.