Preston Local Plan glossary

This glossary assists you in the understanding of the Local Plan, particularly where technical or unfamiliar terms are used.

Affordable Housing

Affordable housing includes social rented and intermediate housing, provided to specified eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. It should therefore be available at a cost low enough for them to afford, determined by local incomes and local house prices.

Affordable housing should include provision for the home to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or, if these restrictions are lifted, for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision.

Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)

An area where levels of pollution and air quality might not meet national air quality objectives. If it does not meet the objectives a plan is prepared to improve the air quality - a Local Air Quality Action Plan.

Allocation

The land use assigned to a parcel of land as proposed in a statutory Local Plan.

Area Action Plan (AAP)

A plan for a specific area where significant change or conservation is needed.

Article 4 Direction

A direction which withdraws automatic planning permission granted by the General Permitted Development Order.

Biodiversity

The whole variety of life, including genetic, species and ecosystem variations.

Biological Heritage Sites (BHS)

Biological Heritage Sites is the name given to the most important non-statutory wildlife sites in Lancashire. They contain valuable habitats such as ancient woodland, species-rich grassland and bogs.

Brownfield Land

Please visit our Brownfield Land register.

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)

BREEAM is a nationally and internationally recognised environmental assessment method and rating system for non-domestic buildings. It was first launched in 1990 and sets the standard for best practise in sustainable building design, construction and operation and is a recognised measure of a building's environmental performance.

Central Lancashire

The collective name for the administrative area covered by Preston, Chorley and South Ribble Council's, which is the area covered by the Core Strategy.

Code for Sustainable Homes

The Code is the national standard for the sustainable design and construction of new homes. The Code aims to reduce our carbon emissions and create homes that are more sustainable. The Government has announced that housing standards are to be streamlined and as a result the Code is to be replaced by a zero carbon homes standard in 2016.

Community Facilities

A facility to be used by/ provided for the community (such as local shops, meeting places, sports venues, cultural buildings, public houses and places of worship). This list is by no means exhaustive and is for demonstrative purposes only.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

A levy that local authorities can choose to charge on new developments in their area. The money can be used to support development by funding infrastructure.

Conservation Area

An area designated by a Local Planning Authority for preservation and enhancement due to the special architectural of historic interest of its buildings and their settings.

Core Strategy

The main Development Plan Document that sets out the long-term spatial vision for Preston, the spatial objectives and strategic policies to deliver that vision, having regard to the Sustainable Communities Strategy.

The Central Lancashire Core Strategy covers the local authority areas of Preston, South Ribble and Chorley.

Developer Contributions

Monies collected from developers or direct works done by them to mitigate the impacts of new development where these cannot be satisfactorily addressed by conditions attached to a planning permission. This may include the creation of new wildlife areas or to provide additional infrastructure required by the development, such as new school facilities or provision of affordable housing.

Development Management

That part of the planning process that deals with planning applications and enforcement. However, it differs from "development control" in that it uses the process not just to control the effects of unrestricted development but as a proactive tool for managing development opportunities.

Development Plan Document (DPD)

A statutory policy document of the LDF, such as the Core Strategy, Area Action Plan and Site Specific Allocations.

District Centres

District Centres usually comprise groups of shops often containing at least one supermarket, and a range of non-retail services, such as banks, building societies and restaurants as well as local public facilities such as a library.

Empty Homes

A long term empty residential property is one which has been unoccupied continuously for 6 months or more and not registered for Council Tax purposes as a second home or annexe

Extra Care Housing

Extra Care Housing is housing designed with the needs of frailer older people in mind and with varying levels of care and support available on site.

People who live in Extra Care Housing have their own self contained homes, their own front doors and a legal right to occupy the property. It comes in many built forms, including blocks of flats, bungalow estates and retirement villages and can sometimes provide an alternative to a care home.

Geological Heritage Sit

Geological Heritage Sites are the equivalent of Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological Sites in Lancashire. They are currently the most important places for geology and geomorphology outside statutorily protected land such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Green Belt

Statutorily designated land around built-up areas intended to limit urban sprawl and prevent neighbouring settlements joining together. There is a strong presumption against inappropriate development. Not all Greenfield land is in the Green Belt.

Greenfield Land

Land that is not built on, typically farm land but also playing fields and allotments.

Green Infrastructure

A network of multi-functional green space, urban and rural, which is capable of delivering a wide range of environmental and quality of life benefits for local communities.

Heritage Assets

A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape positively identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions. Heritage assets are the valued components of the historic environment.

They include designated heritage assets (World Heritage Site, Scheduled Monument, Listed Building, Protected Wreck Site, Registered Park and Garden, Registered Battlefield or Conservation Area designated as such under the relevant legislation) and assets identified by the local planning authority during the process of decision-making or through the plan-making process (including local listing).

Historic Environment Record (HER)

Historic environment records are information services that seek to provide access to comprehensive and dynamic resources relating to the historic environment of a defined geographic area for public benefit and use.

For Lancashire, the HER is managed by the County Council on behalf of all the Lancashire borough councils, and consists of a database linked to a geographical information system (GIS), and associated reference material, together with a dedicated staffing resource.

Infrastructure

Facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions including schools and hospitals.

Issues and Options

The name previously given to the earliest stage in the preparation of the development plan document when local planning authorities should gather evidence about their area and engage with stakeholders. Changes to the regulations in 2008 removed this term, however early engagement with stakeholders remains a requirement.

Key Service

Centre Towns or villages which act as service centres for surrounding areas, providing a range of services and with good transport links to surrounding towns and villages.

Local Centres

Include a range of small shops of a local nature, serving a small catchment; typically local centres might include, amongst other shops, a small supermarket, a newsagent, a sub-post office and a pharmacy. Other facilities could include a hot food takeaway and laundrette. In rural areas, large villages may perform the role of a local centre.

Local Development Framework (LDF)

The Local Development Framework (LDF) was introduced through the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. The LDF replaced the previous system of Structure Plans and Local Plans.

A LDF was a set of documents that determined how development in an area would be planned over time. The Government has now abandoned the term Local Development Framework and, through its reforms, switched to the term 'Local Plan' to describe the portfolio of documents.

Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)

A partnership between local authorities and businesses formed in 2011 to help determine local economic priorities and lead economic growth and job creation within its local area. They carry out some of the functions previously carried out by the regional development agencies which were abolished in March 2012.

Local Transport Plan (LTP)

Local Transport Plans are strategic documents which set out the local transport priorities in the long term. The current Local Transport Plan for Lancashire, Local Transport Plan 3 (LTP3) runs from 2011-2021. This LTP consists of a 10 year overarching strategy, supported by 3 year rolling implementation plans.

Lancashire County Council is the transport authority representing Preston and has prepared a joint document with Blackpool Council and Blackburn-with-Darwen Council.

Local Nature Reserve

Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are for both people and wildlife and are designated by Natural England. They are places with wildlife or geological features that are of special interest locally.

They offer people special opportunities to study or learn about nature or simply to enjoy it.

Neighbourhood Plan

A plan prepared by a Parish Council or Neighbourhood Forum for a particular neighbourhood area (made under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004).

Previously Developed Land (PDL)

Land which is or was occupied by a permanent structure, including the curtilage of the developed land (although it should not be assumed that the whole curtilage should be developed) and any associated fixed surface infrastructure.

This excludes:

• land that is or has been occupied by agricultural or forestry buildings;
• land that has been developed for minerals extraction or waste disposal by landfill purposes where provision for restoration has been made through development control procedures;
• land in built-up areas such as private residential gardens, parks, recreation grounds and allotments;
• land that was previously-developed but where the remains of the permanent structure or fixed surface structure have blended into the landscape in the process of time.

Policies Map

A map on an Ordnance Survey base, illustrating the policies and proposals of a local plan and defining sites for particular developments or land uses and the areas to which specified development management policies will be applied.

Ramsar Site

These are wetlands of international importance, designated under the 1971 Ramsar Convention.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)

A conservation designation of national importance, identifying the Country's very best wildlife and geological sites. They include some of the most spectacular and beautiful habitats in the UK.

Spatial Planning

Planning (used in preparing the LDF) which goes beyond traditional land uses to integrate policies for the development and use of land with other (non-planning) policies and programmes which influence the nature of places and how they function.

Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA)

These are required to meet national and regional policy requirements in relation to flood risk in a local area.

Strategic Locations

Broad areas identified as having strategic significance in implementing the Core Strategy

Strategic Sites

Sites that have been identified as having strategic importance in implementing the Core Strategy.

Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)

Supplementary Planning Document - give further guidance on specific policy topic areas such as affordable housing provision, that have been identified in core policy in the Local Development Framework or to give detailed guidance on the development of specific sites.

Sustainability Appraisal (SA)

An assessment that considers the environmental, social and economic effects of a plan and appraises them in relation to the aims of sustainable development.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. There are three dimensions to sustainable development: economic, social and environmental.

Wildlife Corridor

A wildlife corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by things like roads or development.