Glossary

The toolkit glossary aims to provide users with a concise and informative explanation of key terms. It should not be used as a source of legal definitions or interpretations.  

Terms and Concepts

Area Action Plan

An Area Action Plan is a development plan document focused upon a specific location or an area subject to conservation or significant change, such as a major regeneration project or a growth area.

City Regions

City Regions are working partnerships of local authorities within the framework of Multi-Area Agreements for the purpose of strategic planning (for example, on economic development, physical planning or strategic housing) and governed by executive boards.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

CIL is a new charge brought in by the Planning Act 2008, which local planning authorities will have the option of levying on new development in their area.  It will contribute towards the costs of local and sub-regional infrastructure that will enable development to go forward. It will be a standard tariff multiplied by a metric (i.e. per square metre, per dwelling) which are both locally determined.

Creating Cultural Opportunities in Sustainable Communities (Invest to Save Budget Programme)   

A national 2-year Treasury-funded project to develop a web-based Cultural Planning Toolkit.  The toolkit will help spatial and cultural planners to assess cultural infrastructure need, plan for its provision and secure appropriate funding mechanisms for delivery. 

Culture and Sport

The toolkit uses the ‘living places’ definition of ‘culture & sport’ -  a range of activities, resources, facilities and expertise that include arts, sport, heritage, museums, libraries and archives, and the creative industries, including film and media.

Developer Contributions, Planning Obligations and Section 106 Agreements

Introduced by Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. These are legal agreements between a planning authority and a developer, or undertakings offered unilaterally by a developer, to mitigate against the impact of development. For example, increased pressure on infrastructure as a result of new housing. The terms ‘planning obligations’, ‘planning agreements’ and ‘Section 106 agreements’ are often used interchangeably.

Eco-towns   

Eco-towns are new settlements of between 5,000 and 20,000 homes and intended to be exemplars of good practice of new development in England.  The objectives for eco-towns include meeting the highest development standards in terms of sustainable development, social justice, and inclusive communities, whilst minimising their carbon footprints.

Growth Areas   

Growth Areas are one of the measures that the Government has established to tackle housing pressures in the wider South and East areas of the country.  They are a crucial part of the Government's ambition to increase levels of housing supply in areas feeling the greatest housing pressures.

Growth Points   

Growth Points are designed to provide support to local partners who wish to pursue large scale and sustainable growth outside of the Growth Areas, including new housing, through a partnership with Government. The Government announced 29 New Growth Points in October 2006 and 20 second round Growth Points in July 2008.

Housing Market Renewal    

Housing Market Renewal is a programme to renew the housing market in those parts of the North and Midlands where demand for housing is relatively weak and which have seen significant decline in population, dereliction, poor services and poor social conditions as a result.

Infrastructure planning

Infrastructure planning considers the infrastructure required to support development including  costs, sources of funding, timescales for delivery and gaps in funding.  It is required as evidence to the LDF core strategy, as set out in PPS 12.

living places    

The aim of living places is to ensure that all communities, particularly those experiencing housing-led growth and regeneration, can benefit from cultural and sporting opportunities. By working together, the five partners and the government will ensure that culture is embedded in the development of our villages, towns and cities alongside other key areas of provision such as healthcare and transport.

Local Authority Leaders Board   

The leaders board Is a forum of local authority leaders, representing all local authorities in the region, would sign off the draft strategy and help to hold the RDA and its regional delivery partners to account. It is a structure proposed by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill (Clause 66).

Local Area Agreements (LAAs) and Multi Area Agreements (MAAs)

LAAs are a three-year agreement between central government, local government and major delivery partners in a local area.  The LAA sets out priority issues and a local action plan. LAAs are expected to achieve solutions that meet local needs, as well as contribute to national priorities and meet standards set by central government. MAAs are similar to LAAs in that strategic partners across local authority boundaries can agree targets and pooling of funding arrangements with their government office.

Local Development Framework (LDF)

LDF describes a folder of documents, which includes all the local planning authority's local development documents. 

Local Strategic Partnership (LSP)   

The LSP is a multi-agency body that matches a local authority boundary and brings together  the public, private, community and voluntary sectors. Its purpose is to provide leadership of a local area and improve quality of life through better planning, co-ordination and delivery of services.

Planning Policy Statement (PPS) and Planning Policy Guidance (PPG)    

Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) and their predecessors Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs) set out the Government’s national policies on different aspects of spatial planning in England.  

Priority Places

Members of the living places partnership identified five priority places to carry out focused research.  The priority places include South West region, Pennine Lancashire, Corby, South Hampshire and the Thames Gateway.

Private Finance Initiative (PFI)

PFI is a method of procurement by which partnerships can be developed between the public and private sectors.  These initiatives can deliver various projects, including the design and development of new assets, the refurbishment of existing assets as well as the provision of associated services, such as repairs and maintenance.

Public-Private Partnership (PPP)   

In the broadest sense, PPPs can cover all types of collaboration between the public and private sectors to deliver policies, services and infrastructure.

Public Service Agreement (PSA)   

PSAs set out the key priority outcomes the government wants to achieve in the next spending period (2008-2011).

Regional Assembly   

The Regional Assembly (know as the Regional Planning Body) is responsible for developing and co-ordinating a strategic vision for improving the quality of life in the region. All regional assembles are due to be replaced by regional leaders’ board following the Sub-National Review.

Regional Development Agency (RDA)

Nine government agencies set up in 1999 to promote regional economic development and regeneration.  Each agency helps its region to improve its relative competitiveness and reduce the imbalances that exists within and between regions.

Regional Economic Strategy (RES)

The RES, produced every three years by the RDAs, act as the main framework for determining each RDA’s goals and priorities. They provide the overarching direction for the RDAs from which resources flow through the yearly Corporate Plans.

Regional implementation plan   

The implementation plan is critical to delivery the regional spatial strategies. It is an agreed implementation plan for each policy and priority proposal which sets out the organisation(s) who are responsible for delivery, the current status, timescales and output targets.

Regional Living Places Partnership   

Regional Cultural Consortiums are replaced with a partnership between Arts Council England, Sport England, English Heritage and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. These agencies will now have a duty to work together to jointly deliver a core set of shared priorities across the culture and sport agenda. Culture Minister Margaret Hodge announced this change in July 2008.

Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS)   

A regional planning document which lays out a broad development strategy for how a region over a 15 to 20 year period.  The strategy decides how much development there should be, how it will be allocated to different parts of the region and how it will be delivered. The Regional Spatial Strategy sets a framework for all local development frameworks in the region.

Regional Strategy

A single Regional Strategy (RS), harmonises and integrates the policy previously found in Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS), Regional Economic Strategies (RES), and other regional strategies and priorities. RDAs are responsible for the production of the Regional Strategy in collaboration with the new regional Leaders’ Boards, which brings priorities for economic development alongside those such as planning, transport and housing.

Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration (SNR)   

In November 2008, following public consultation, the Government revealed how it will take forward the reforms proposed in the Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration, commonly known as the sub-national review or SNR. The SNR considered how to strengthen economic performance in England’s regions, cities and localities, as well as how to tackle persistent pockets of deprivation.  

Section 106 Agreements

See Developer Contributions.

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. It is a process of place shaping and delivery.

Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)

The aim of the Statement of Community Involvement is to help ensure community ownership of the Local Development Framework and strengthen community involvement in planning over time. It also aims to improve overall representation and involvement across all sections of the community.

Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)

Local planning authorities prepare SPDs to provide greater detail on the implementation of policies within its development plan documents.

Sustainable Communities Plan 2003   

Launched by the Deputy Prime Minister in 2003, the “Communities Plan” sets out a long-term programme for action for delivering sustainable communities in both urban and rural areas. Some of the program’s aims included tackling housing issues in the South East, low demands in other parts of the country, and improving quality of public spaces.

Sustainable Community Strategy

A local strategy to promote or improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the area. The Sustainable Community Strategy sets out the vision and priorities, agreed by all parties and based on a solid evidence base.

Sustainable development

The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations.

Total Place

Total Place is an ambitious initiative that will consider how a ‘whole area’ approach to public services can lead to better services at less cost. The impact of the economic downturn means all of the public sector needs to find new and more efficient ways to serve the public. It works for examining the processes of ‘counting’ and ‘culture’, and identify customer needs.

Visioning  

Visioning is a process by which a community defines the future it wants. Through public involvement, communities identify their purpose and core values of the future.