Preferred Options 2025

12. Glossary

Accessibility
The ability of people to move around an area and reach places and facilities, including elderly and disabled people, those with young children and those encumbered with luggage or shopping.

Accessible Neighbourhoods
Where land uses (local services, schools, employment and housing) are better aligned, spatially, with transport planning (transport infrastructure), to make it easier for people to walk, cycle and use public transport.

Active travel
Transport of people or goods, through non-motorised means, based around human physical activity.

Affordable housing
Social rented, affordable rented and intermediate housing, provided to eligible households whose needs are not met by the market. Eligibility is determined with regard to local incomes and local house prices. Affordable housing should include provisions for it to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision. Social rented housing is owned by local authorities and private registered providers (as defined in section 80 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008), for which guideline target rents are determined through the national rent regime. It may also be owned by other persons and provided under equivalent rental arrangements to the above, as agreed with the local authority or with the Homes and Communities Agency. Affordable rented housing is let by local authorities or private registered providers of social housing to households who are eligible for social rented housing. Affordable Rent is subject to rent controls that require a rent of no more than 80% of the local market rent (including service charges, where applicable). Intermediate housing is homes for sale and rent provided at a cost above social rent, but below market levels subject to the criteria in the Affordable Housing definition above. These can include shared equity (shared ownership and equity loans), other low-cost homes for sale and intermediate rent, but not affordable rented housing. Homes that do not meet the above definition of affordable housing, such as "low-cost market" housing, may not be considered as affordable housing for planning purposes.

Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)
These are defined geographical areas where air pollution levels are, or are likely to, exceed national air quality objectives at relevant locations.

Annual Monitoring Report (AMR)
Document that assesses implementation of the Local Development Scheme and the extent to which policies in Local Development Documents are being successfully implemented. Part of the Local Plan.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value.

Biodiversity
The variety of life on earth. It encompasses the whole of the natural world and all living things including plants, animals, and other organisms which, together, interact in complex ways with the inanimate environment to create living ecosystems.

Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP)
A biodiversity action plan (BAP) is an internationally recognised program addressing threatened species and habitats and is designed to protect and restore biological systems

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
A way to contribute to the recovery of nature while developing land. It is making sure the habitat for wildlife is in a better state than it was before development.

Biodiversity Offsetting
Biodiversity offsetting involves activities to create biodiversity benefits in order to compensate for biodiversity losses resulting from development. This is to ensure that when a development damages nature in a way that is unavoidable or cannot be mitigated, new nature sites will be created to offset the negative impact on biodiversity.

Blue Infrastructure
Blue infrastructure relates to water features and systems including ponds, lakes, streams, rivers ,storm water provision such as raingardens and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). Good management of these features can provide benefits for biodiversity and also protect communities from flooding and storm surges, as well as absorb and filter pollutants.

Brownfield Land
Land which is or was occupied by a permanent structure, excluding agricultural buildings. Also known as previously developed land.

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)
A nationally recognised benchmark to measure the environmental performance of buildings.

Built Up Area Boundaries (BUAB)
A planning policy term to used to define urban areas of a settlement from countryside.

Call for Sites
A period of time where landowners are encouraged to come forward with sites, they are interested in developing.

Carbon Sequestration
A natural or artificial process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in solid or liquid form.

Climate Change
A change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.

Climate Change Adaptation
Adjustments to natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic factors or their effects (including from changes in rainfall and rising temperatures) which moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities.

Climate Change Mitigation
Action to reduce the impact of human activity on the climate system, primarily through reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Resilience
According to UK Green Building Society Climate Resilience is "The ability of a system, community or society exposed to climate hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate to, and recover from the effects of a hazard. A climate-resilient system responds in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions".

Combined Cooling Heat and Power (CCHP)
CCHP), is the simultaneous production of electricity, heat and cooling all from a single source.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Combined heat and power (CHP) is a highly efficient process that captures and utilises the heat that is a by-product of the electricity generation process.

Community Garden
A piece of land gardened or cultivated by a group of people individually or collectively.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)
The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is a charge that local authorities can set on new development in order to raise funds to help fund the infrastructure, facilities and services - such as schools or transport improvements - needed to support new homes and businesses.

Decarbonisation
The process of removing or reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) output of a country's economy. This is usually done by decreasing the amount of CO2 emitted across the active industries within that economy.

Delivery and Viability Studies
Assessment to determine that the contents of the Plan and its development strategies can be achieved.

Demographics
Statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it.

Densification
Densification, sometimes referred to as intensification, refers to the process of adding dwellings to existing residential or mixed-use areas. For example by:

• Re-using brownfield sites
• Conversion of upper floors of buildings to residential use
• Additional storeys on buildings ï‚· Re-using empty homes
• Infill in residential areas, e.g. filling gaps in the street frontage, developing disused garage blocks, car parks
• Mews dwellings on service roads

Development Plan
The statutory plan that provides the basis for determining planning applications. Comprises development plan documents that have been adopted by the Council and any "made" neighbourhood plans.

Development Plan Document (DPD) 
A document forming part of the local plan that is subject to independent examination and becomes part of the development plan when adopted by the council.

Economic Development
Industrial, commercial retail and tourism development, including those within the B Use Classes, public and community uses and main town centre uses (but excluding housing development).

Electric Vehicle (EV)
A vehicle that can only be powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery.

Energy Hierarchy
The Energy Hierarchy is a classification of energy options that prioritises a sustainable approach. The top of the energy hierarchy aims to reduce the need for energy, and the bottom falls back on using conventional fossil fuels. The middle tiers look at using renewable energy sources and being efficient with the energy created to reduce waste.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
A procedure to be followed for certain types of project to ensure that decisions are made in full knowledge of any likely significant effects on the environment.

Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA)
An assessment to ensure that strategies and policies contribute towards eliminating discrimination, promoting equality and fostering good relations.

Evidence Base
Collection of baseline specific data for the County which is used to inform the development of all Local Plan policies and Supplementary Planning Documents.

First Homes
First Homes are a specific kind of discounted market sale housing considered to meet the definition of 'affordable housing' for planning purposes. This is discounted at 30% below market value and, at the time of writing, must not exceed £250,000 after discount. The percentage discount is protected for future purchasers. Further details are in the national Planning Practice Guidance and its associated written ministerial statement.

Flood Zone 1- Low probability
This zone comprises land assessed as having a less than 1 in 1,000 annual probability of river or sea flooding (<0.1%).

Flood Zone 2 - medium probability
This zone comprises land assessed as having between a 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,000 annual probability of river flooding (1% - 0.1%), or between a 1 in 200 and 1 in 1,000 annual probability of sea flooding (0.5% - 0.1%) in any year.

Zone 3b - the functional floodplain
This zone comprises land where water has to flow or be stored in times of flood. Local planning authorities should identify in their Strategic Flood Risk Assessments areas of functional floodplain and its boundaries accordingly, in agreement with the Environment Agency. The identification of functional floodplain should take account of local circumstances and not be defined solely on rigid probability parameters. But land which would flood with an annual probability of 1 in 20 (5%) or greater in any year, or is designed to flood in an extreme (0.1%) flood, should provide a starting point for consideration and discussions to identify the functional floodplain.

Full lifetime of a development
Residential development should be considered for a minimum of 100 years, unless there is specific justification for considering a shorter period.

Green Belt
The Green Belt is an area of open land around a city, on which building is restricted.

Green Belt Review
An assessment of how different areas of land contribute to the purposes of Green Belt set out in national policy.

Green Corridor
A 'green corridor' (also known as wildlife corridor, biological corridor or habitat corridor) is a strip of land that is established to enable the bridging of habitat populations that have been split by human development such as a road, settlement or other human activity.

Green Infrastructure (GI)
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.

Green/Blue Infrastructure (GBI)
Green Blue Infrastructure is a network of green spaces and water environments that sustains the ecosystems needed for a good quality of life. The GBI network, comprises both public and private green and blue spaces.

Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA)
An assessment the likely impacts and possible effects of policies on the integrity of the internationally designated wildlife sites (e.g. Rutland Water).

Health Impact Assessment (HIA)
A practical approach used to judge the potential health effects of a policy, programme or project on a population, particularly on vulnerable or disadvantaged groups.

Help to Buy
A government scheme to help first-time buyers get a property with just a 5% deposit.

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. Heritage asset includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing).

Historic Environment Records (HER's)
Sources of, and signposts to, information relating to landscapes, buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas and archaeological finds spanning more than 700,000 years of human endeavour. Based mainly in local authorities, they are used for planning and development control, but they also fulfil an educational role.

Historic Landscape Characterisation (HLC)
A range of approaches to the identification and interpretation of the historic dimension of the present-day landscape (including townscape) within a given area that can be used to manage change to the historic environment.

Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA)
The Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) looks at a wealth of evidence, including population, household and economic growth projections, to assess the need for housing and employment land.

Housing Market Assessment (HMA)
A study of housing need and supply carried out to by one or more local authorities (in this case, for Rutland) to assist in policy development, decision-making and resource allocation in relation to housing issues.

Housing Strategy
Document detailing how Councils and their partners plan to work together to ensure that more people get the opportunity to live independently in good quality housing of their choice.

Impact Assessment (IA)
An impact assessment shows the impact of a retail or leisure proposal on the vitality and viability of existing town centres within the area of the proposed development.

Industrial Strategy
A document that looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the local economy and sets out a plan of action to build on existing successes, and to develop and support areas that may be struggling.

Infill development
Defined as the filling of small gaps within the settlement and would normally involve development of a gap in a continuously built-up frontage.

Infrastructure
The network of essential physical services that most buildings or activities are connected to. It includes not only physical services in an area (e.g. gas, electricity and water provision, telecommunications, sewerage) and networks of roads, public transport routes, footpaths etc. but also community facilities and green infrastructure. New or improved infrastructure will generally need to be provided where significant levels of new development are proposed.

Infrastructure Funding Statement (IFS)
The infrastructure funding statements are required to set out the infrastructure projects or types of infrastructure that the authority intends to fund, either wholly or partly, by the levy or planning obligations, though this will not dictate how funds must be spent and in turn collected.

Inset into Green Belt
Settlements where the Green Belt designation comes up to the edge of the built-up area, but where the built-up area itself is excluded from the designation.

Intensification
See "densification"

Landfill
The deposition of waste into hollow or void space in the land, usually below the level of the surrounding land or original ground level in such a way that pollution or harm to the environment is prevented. Landfill sites have to be sited where an existing void is available; former mineral workings have historically been used for this purpose. The term 'landfill' is often used when referring to 'landraising'.

Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA)
Established under the Flood and Water Management Act in 2010. They are required to develop, maintain, apply and monitor a strategy for local flood risk management in its area.

Local Development Scheme (LDS)
The LDS is a rolling business plan for the preparation of key planning policy documents that will be relevant to future planning decisions. It outlines the programme and resources for completion and adoption of each relevant planning document.

Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)
A body, designated by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, established for the purpose of creating or improving the conditions for economic growth in an area.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS)
They identify practical, achievable proposals developed with the input of people who know and understand the area, especially landowners and managers.

Local Plan (LP)
The plan for the future development of the local area, drawn up by the Local Planning Authority in consultation with the community. In law this is prescribed as a Development Plan Document adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

Local Nature Reserve (LNR)
A Local Nature Reserve or LNR is a statutory designation made under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 by principal local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. Local Nature Reserves (LNR's) are for both people and wildlife. They are places with wildlife or geological features that are of special interest locally. They offer special opportunities to study or learn about nature or simply to enjoy it.

Local Green Space (LGS)
Green areas of particular importance identified for special protection. A designation which was introduced in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Local Housing Need (LHN)
The government's standard method for calculating housing requirements for local authorities.

Local Planning Authority (LPA)
The public authority whose duty it is to carry out specific planning functions for a particular area. All references to local planning authority apply to the district council, London borough council, county council, Broads Authority, National Park Authority and the Greater London Authority, to the extent appropriate to their responsibilities.

Local Transport Plan (LTP)
The document that sets out the Council's local transport strategies and policies and an implementation programme.

Local Wildlife Site (LWS)
Non-statutory areas of local importance for nature conservation that complement nationally and internationally designated geological and wildlife sites.

Masterplan
A plan that sets out the proposals or aspirations for the development of buildings, street blocks, public spaces, streets and landscape.

Mechanical heat treatment (MHT)
The mechanical sorting or pre-processing stage with technology often found in a material recovery facility. The mechanical sorting stage is followed by a form of thermal treatment. This might be in the form of a waste autoclave or processing stage to produce a refuse derived fuel pellet. Mechanical heat treatment is sometimes grouped along with mechanical biological treatment. Mechanical heat treatment does not however include a stage of biological degradation (anaerobic digestion or composting).

Mineral Reserve
A mineral reserve is that part of a mineral resource, which has been fully evaluated and is commercially viable to work; in relation to the Local Plan this means those minerals for which a valid planning permission for extraction exists (i.e. permitted reserves).

Mineral Resource
Natural concentrations of minerals or, bodies of rock that are, or may become, of potential economic interest due to their inherent properties.

Nationally Described Space Standard (NDSS)
A form of technical planning standard about minimum internal space standards for residential amenity.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
The government's statement of planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied.

National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG)
The National Planning Practice Guidance adds further context to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and it is intended that the two documents should be read together.

Neighbourhood Plan
A plan prepared by Parish/Town Councils or Neighbourhood Forums to establish general planning policies for the development and use of land within a particular neighbourhood area. Subject to conformity with the strategic policies of the Local Plan, an independent examination and support in a community referendum, a Neighbourhood Plan will become part of the planning framework for land uses in the local area.

Net Zero
The point at which the amount of greenhouse gases being put into the atmosphere by human activity in the UK equals the amount of greenhouse gases that is being taken out of the atmosphere. Source: Powering our Net Zero Future. Energy White Paper. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. HM Government, Dec. 2020.

Net Zero Carbon (NZC)
Having Net Zero Carbon dioxide emissions, either by balancing carbon dioxide emissions with removal, or simply eliminating carbon dioxide emissions altogether.

New Settlements
New settlements are new, large-scale developments, planned to provide housing, work places and related facilities within a more or less self - contained environment.

Office for National Statistics (ONS)
The UK's largest independent producer of official statistics and the recognised national statistical institute of the UK

Previously developed land or Brownfield 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 of the 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; and 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.

Primary Shopping Areas (PSA)
Primary shopping areas are defined in the NPPF as: Defined areas where retail development is concentrated (generally comprising the primary and those secondary frontages which are adjoining and closely related to the primary shopping frontage).

RAMSAR site (RAMSAR)
Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance that have been designated under the criteria of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands for containing representative, rare or unique wetland types or for their importance in conserving biological diversity.

Renewable Energy
Renewable 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.

Resilience
The capacity of people and places to plan for, better protect, respond to and to recover from flooding and coastal change [or other impacts of climate change]. Source: National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England. Environment Agency, Jul. 2020.

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 contributions
Developer contributions, often known as 'S106 contributions', are paid by developers to mitigate the impact of new homes and other buildings, which create extra demands on local facilities.

Self and Custom build housing
"Self-build" refers to projects where individuals or groups directly organise the design and construction of new homes. Custom housebuilding involves individuals or groups working with a specialist developer to deliver new homes that meet their specific aspirations and needs.

Settlement Design Analysis
A form of analysis that looks at the structure and design of existing settlements to help identify where growth might best be integrated.

Severance
The term applied to the effects that roads and their traffic can have on.

Shared Equity
A lender agrees to give a loan alongside a main mortgage in return for a share of any profits when the house is sold or the loan repaid.

Shared Ownership
Where a home can be bought through the shared ownership scheme if cannot afford all of the deposit and mortgage payments for a home that meets their needs.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
Specifically defined sites or areas designated as being of national importance because of their wildlife, plants or flowering species and/or their unusual or atypical geological features. SSSIs are designated by Natural England and have protected status under the under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The protection is subject to Government Regulations.

Social Isolation
Social isolation can be defined structurally as the absence of social interactions, contacts, and relationships with family and friends, with neighbours on an individual level, and with "society at large" on a broader level.

Soundness
To be considered sound, a Development Plan Document must meet four tests, it must be positively prepared, justified (have a robust and credible evidence base and be the most appropriate strategy) as well as effective (deliverable, flexible and able to be monitored) and consistent with national policy

Specialist housing
There are different types of specialist housing designed to meet the diverse needs of older people, which can include: • Age-restricted general market housing • Retirement living or sheltered housing • Extra care housing or housing-with-care • Residential care homes and nursing homes Further information is in the national Planning Practice Guidance, reference ID: 63-010- 20190626. Variations of these may be used to house people with other disabilities where appropriate.

Special Protection Area (SPA)
A designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.

Standard method
The standard method is a government formula used to determine the minimum number of homes anticipated to be planned for, in a way which addresses projected house growth and historic under-supply. The standard method identifies a minimum annual housing need figure. It does not produce a housing requirement figure.

Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)
Document setting out when, with whom and how consultation will be undertaken on Local Development Documents.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
Document setting out the environmental assessment of policies, to meet the requirements of the European SEA Directive.

Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA)
A high-level assessment of flood risk carried out by or for Local Planning Authorities with the purpose of assisting them to deliver sustainable development and to avoid development in areas that are at risk of flooding or that would increase flooding elsewhere.

Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)
Document that expands on policies and proposals in development plan documents. Part of the Local Plan but not subject to formal public examination and not part of the development plan.

Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG)
Generic term for non-statutory planning policies and documents. Not part of the development plan.

Sustainability Appraisal (SA)
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires Local Development Documents (LDDs) to be prepared with a view to contributing to the achievement of sustainable development. Sustainability appraisal is a systematic process that assesses the social, environmental and economic effects of the strategies and policies in a LDP from the outset of the preparation process. This helps to ensure that decisions are made that accord with sustainable development requirements.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)
The SuDS approach involves slowing down and reducing the quantity of surface water run off for a developed area to manage flood risk downstream, and reduce the risk of run off causing pollution. This is achieved by harvesting, infiltrating, slowing, storing, conveying and treating run off on site. SuDS allow water to become a more visible and tangible part of the built environment, which can be enjoyed by everyone.

Tenure
In housing and planning, tenure is a financial arrangement and ownership structure under which someone has the right to live in a dwelling. Some examples are private rented housing and owner-occupation. There are a number of affordable housing tenures, such as Social Rent, Affordable Rent, Shared Ownership and First Homes.

Transport Assessment (TA)
A comprehensive and systematic process that sets out transport issues relating to a proposed development. It identifies what measures will be required to improve accessibility and safety for all modes of travel, particularly for alternatives to the car such as walking, cycling and public transport, and what measures will need to be taken to deal with the anticipated transport impacts of the development

Urban Capacity Study
An urban capacity study identifies sites which may have the potential to come forward for residential development within existing urban areas, to assist in limiting the number of dwellings which would need to be developed on greenfield sites in the open countryside.

Warwickshire County Council (WCC)

Washed over by Green Belt
Settlements where the built-up area is included in the Green Belt designation

Water Cycle Strategy (WCS)
Document identifying the water services (incl. supply, and waste) required to support the development within the Plan. It establishes where any constraints exist and identifies measures to eliminate or mitigate these constraints.

Water Neutrality
For every development, total water use in the wider area after the development must be equal to or less than total water use in the wider area before development". (Environment Agency b, 2009).

Wellbeing
The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.

Windfall Sites
Sites which have not been specifically identified as available in the Local Plan process. They normally comprise previously-developed sites that have unexpectedly become available.

Zero Carbon
Where no carbon emissions are being produced from a product/service.