You are here: Home > UDP > Written Statement > Glossary

15. GLOSSARY

Accessibility	A measure of the level or ease of access to sites or locations, goods, services, or information, taking account of time, cost and perception.
Active solar water heating	A means of capturing and storing the sun's heat via water storage systems, primarily used for heating water in dwellings, industrial facilities and commercial buildings.
Adoption	Final confirmation of the UDP as a statutory development plan by resolution of the local planning authority (council) responsible for preparing it.
Affordable housing	Housing which is attainable to buy or rent for those people whose incomes are insufficient to allow them to afford to buy or rent locally on the open market.
After-use	The purpose for which land is to be used following reclamation.
Aggregate recycling facility	A facility for the recycling of aggregates that have previously been used in construction and demolition, and as road construction materials and railway ballast.
Aggregates	Bulk granular or particulate materials suitable for use in construction as concrete, mortar, roadstone, asphalt or drainage courses, or as constructional fill or railway ballast.
Agricultural waste	Waste arising from farms or market gardens, including manure, slurry and crop residues.
Allocation	The use assigned by the plan to a piece of land.
Allotment	Small plot of land rented out for cultivation and, depending on rules prevailing at a particular site, other purposes. Similar sites which are normally made available, in the first instance, to the occupants of specific nearby dwellings will usually be considered detached gardens rather than allotments.
Alternative treatment of waste	Methods for treating waste other than landfill.
Ambient noise	The totally encompassing sound from many sources near and far in a given situation at a given time.
Amenity	The pleasant, or at least satisfactory, aspects of a location or neighbourhood which contribute to its enjoyment by residents or others.
Anaerobic digestion	A process in which biodegradable material is broken down in the absence of oxygen in an enclosed vessel to produce carbon dioxide, methane and digestate, which can be used as fertiliser and compost. The by-products can be useful as fuel sources.
Ancient woodland	Land that has been continuously wooded since AD 1600.
Ancillary	Subsidiary to, and connected with, the main use of a building or piece of land.
Area Park	A large park, of at least five hectares, with a range of facilities and varied environments normally including pitches, courts, greens, play equipment and formal landscaped areas.
Article 4 Directions	Made under Article 4 of the General Permitted Development Order 1995 (and subsequent orders) removing or restricting permitted development rights (see Permitted development).
Baling plant	The interim treatment, by compaction into bales, of appropriate waste at a central collection point.
Best practical environmental option	Usually referred to as BPEO. The outcome of a procedure which emphasises the protection and conservation of the environment. It establishes, for a given set of objectives, the option that provides most benefits or does least damage to the environment as a whole, at acceptable cost, in the long as well as the short term.
Best Value	The Local Government Act 1999 places a duty of best value on local authorities "to make arrangements to secure continuous improvements in the way they exercise their functions having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness".
Biodiversity	The extent to which the widest possible variety of living species of all kinds is present.
Biomass	In this plan, a fuel of which at least 98% of the energy content is derived from plant or animal matter or substances derived directly or indirectly therefrom, and includes agricultural, forestry or wood wastes or residues, sewage and energy crops.
Bond	Binding financial agreement, which an operator enters into to guarantee financially the restoration of a minerals site.
BREEAM	Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method is a measure of best practice in environmental performance of offices, industrial units and retail buildings, in terms of management, energy use, health and well being, pollution, transport, land use, ecology and water consumption and efficiency. Measurement is carried out by independent assessors licensed by the Building Research Establishment.
Broadleaved trees	Non-coniferous tree species.
Catchment area	With reference to flood risk, area from which rainfall flows into a river.
CentreLink	A planned high-quality, frequent, bus service between Gateshead Town Centre and the MetroCentre utilising sections of purpose-built segregated bus-only highway.
Change of use	See Use Classes Order.
Circular	Government advice which explains both legislation and procedure.
Civic amenity sites	Also referred to as waste reception sites. Centrally located sites provided by the local authority where local residents can bring household, do-it-yourself and garden waste ranging from bulky items such as beds to ordinary dustbin waste. It is either recycled or disposed of free of charge. There are also facilities for the disposal of engine oil.
Climate change	Long term changes in temperature, rainfall, wind and all other aspects of the Earth's climate. Regarded by most scientific opinion as a result of human activity and fossil fuel consumption.
Cluster	Collection of businesses and organisations concentrated in the same or related fields and a particular location, thereby enhancing their competitive advantage.
Combined Heat and Power	Simultaneous generation of usable heat (usually steam) and power (usually electricity) in a single process.
Commercial Waste	Waste arising from premises used wholly or mainly for trade, business, sport, recreation, or entertainment, excluding household and industrial waste.
Community facilities	Buildings, land, installations or other facilities, normally provided on a non-profit-making basis, for the use or enjoyment of the general public or designated groups, for educational, health-related, social, cultural, recreational or religious purposes.
Community Strategy	Document setting out a vision for the future of the Gateshead, aiming to benefit everyone living and working in the borough. The Strategy describes the long-term vision and includes a number of shorter-term actions.
Commuted sum	Money paid to the Council for the provision of facilities in connection with a development. See also planning obligation.
Comparison shopping	Shopping for goods such as clothing, footwear, furnishings, household equipment, leather goods and any other items which are occasional purchases generally made in large shopping centres to which customers may be prepared to travel some distance.
Composting	Process whereby biodegradable material (such as garden and kitchen waste) is converted, in the presence of oxygen from the air, into a stable granular material which, applied to land, improves soil structure and enriches nutrient content.
Compulsory Purchase Order	An order which enables a statutory authority to purchase an area of land compulsorily for an approved project.
Conservation Area	Area designated by the Council under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as of special architectural or historic interest. Within Conservation Areas, there are additional controls over development and the felling or pruning of trees.
Construction and demolition waste	Waste arising from the construction, repair, maintenance and demolition of buildings and structures, including roads. It consists mostly of brick, concrete, hardcore, subsoil and topsoil, but it can also contain quantities of timber, metal, plastics and (occasionally) special (hazardous waste) materials.
Contaminated land	Used in two contexts: 1 - land that contains a noxious substance; 2 - as defined in the 1995 Environment Act, of which Part IIA allows land meeting this description to be formally designated: "Any land which appears to the local authority in whose area it is situated to be in such a condition, by reason of substances in, on or under the land, that significant harm is being caused or there is a significant possibility of such harm being caused, or pollution of controlled waters is being, or is likely to be, caused."
Controlled waste	Any household, industrial or commercial waste controlled under the Waste Framework Directive.
Controlled waters	In the borough these comprise all tidal rivers, all freshwater rivers and watercourses, all lakes and ponds and any water contained in underground strata (section 104 of the 1991 Water Resources Act).
Conurbation	A continuous built-up area formed by the merger of a number of cities and/or towns.
Convenience shopping	Shopping for goods bought on a regular basis e.g. food and other groceries, drink, tobacco, newspapers and magazines.
Countryside Agency	A national body, funded by the Government, which is responsible for conserving and enhancing the countryside, promoting social equity and economic opportunity for rural residents, and enjoyment of the countryside as a national asset. See also Natural England.
Culture 10	A programme of festivals, events, promotions and investment that will promote NewcastleGateshead as a world-class visitor destination up to 2010.
Cumulative impact	The effect of a sum of environmental factors.
Cumulative landscape effects of renewable energy developments	The effects on the landscape fabric, character and quality arising where two or more of the same type of renewable energy development are visible from the same point, or are visible shortly after each other along the same journey.
Cumulative visual effects of renewable energy development	Cumulative impact on a view or sequence of views arising from developments. See also Zones of Visual Influence.
Decent Homes Standard	The government provides a detailed description of this standard, which sets criteria in relation to the age and condition of key elements of a property. For example, ensuring that kitchens are 20 years old or less, bathrooms 30 years old or less and that there is a reasonable degree of thermal comfort including effective heating and insulation.
Density	The intensity of development in an area. Usually measured, for housing, in terms of numbers of dwellings per hectare. Net residential density is measured as the number of dwelling units per hectare of land which is developed specifically for housing and directly associated uses. This includes access roads within the site, car parking, and incidental open space and landscaping.
Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG)	Formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM). Government department responsible for policy on housing, planning, regional and local government, community cohesion and the fire service. It also takes responsibility for the Social Exclusion Unit and the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit.
Derelict land	Land so damaged by industrial or other development that it is incapable of beneficial use without treatment.
Design Centre for the North	Linked to the Northern Way, it will provide a virtual and physical centre to support business to design new products and services.
Development	Defined for planning purposes, by Section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as "the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations in, on, over or under land or the making of any material change in the use of any building or other land" (see also Permitted development).
Digestate	The solid and liquid residues that are produced by anaerobic digestion during the production of biogas.
District Sports Hall	Multi-purpose sports hall designed to provide for a range of indoor sports to serve a particular area of the borough.
Diversification	In farming, refers to activities which are undertaken to support farm incomes and use surplus land. It may include forestry, leisure or tourism.
Dormant	A classification of mineral sites resulting from an assessment under Minerals Planning Guidance note 14 ("Environment Act 1995: Review of Mineral Planning Permissions"). Sites are classified as dormant if no minerals development has been carried out to any substantial extent in, on, or under them at any time in the period beginning 22 February 1982 and ending 6 June 1995. After 1 November 1995, it was not lawful to carry on working a dormant site until the mineral planning authority had approved full modern planning conditions.
Durham Wildlife Trust	An organisation that aims to protect wildlife and natural features and to promote nature conservation in County Durham, the City of Sunderland, and the boroughs of Gateshead, South Tyneside, and Darlington.
Ecology	The relationship between living organisms and their environment.
Eco Homes	A version of BREEAM for new, converted or renovated homes assessing energy, water, pollution, materials, transport, ecology and land use, and health and well being, and carried out by independent assessors licensed by the Building Research Establishment.
Economic base	The principal manufacturing and trading activities carried on within the borough, on which other employment and the general level of prosperity depend.
Edge-of-centre	Locations or facilities which, for shopping purposes, are within easy walking distance (200-300 metres) from established shopping areas, including town, district and local centres.
Electricity capacity	kWe, MWe, Gwe are units of electrical capacity: kilo (103), mega (106), giga (109) watts
Energy efficiency	The construction of buildings and their arrangement on sites so that the resources involved are minimised. A result of energy efficiency should be a reduction in both demand for resources and damage to the environment due to energy generation.
Energy Crops	A 'carbon neutral' energy source contributing to renewable energy. For example, short rotation coppice or willow plantation uses carbon dioxide to grow plants. Crops may be burned to create energy and are hence carbon neutral.
Energy from waste	The conversion of waste into a useable form of energy e.g. heat or electricity. Common conversion processes are waste combustion (energy from waste incineration - EfW) and anaerobic digestion.
English Heritage	A national body funded by the Government whose main roles are to promote and give information and advice on the built heritage and building conservation matters. Its full name is English Heritage and the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England.
English Nature	Government agency that champions the conservation of wildlife and geology including providing advice on nature conservation issues. See also Natural England.
Envelope	See Settlement envelope
Environment Agency	Body set up by, but independent from, the Government whose functions include regulating industrial processes, controlled waste and the remediation of contaminated land; protecting the quality and biodiversity of rivers and streams; flood defence; helping to improve air quality; and mitigating and promoting adaptation to climate change.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)	Detailed assessment (required by regulations) to accompany planning applications for projects which will have significant environmental effects.
Feedstock	A biomass source used to produce biomass fuel or heat.
Flood plain	A generally flat low-lying area adjacent to watercourses or tidal rivers which is periodically flooded, or would be if there were no flood defences (see also Functional flood plain).
Flood Risk Assessment	An assessment of the likelihood of flooding in a particular area so the development needs and mitigation measures can be carefully considered.
Forestry Commission	Government-appointed body responsible for regulating public and private forestry plantations and managing state-owned forests.
Functional flood plain	Area of flood plain actually subject to periodic flooding.
Garden City Movement	A pre-war urban planning movement that promoted decentralised and collective living patterns with a special emphasis on landscaping and rural ambience.
Gasification	A process of partial combustion which enables operators to effectively control the temperature of the process, with consequent mitigation of pollutants. A gas can be used in engines, boilers or turbines to generate power.
Gateshead Transport Strategy Statement	A document developing the approach outlined in the Tyne and Wear Local Transport Plan in the light of specific transport issues within the borough, and giving the Council's view on transport issues that are important to the local community but which are not usually addressed within documents like the Local Transport Plan.
Gateway feature	A building or structure that enhances or defines an entrance.
Geodiversity	The number and variety of the non-living earth features (e.g. rocks, landforms, soils and water) found within a specified geographic region, including the variability within and between these features.
Grade (of agricultural land)	The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs system of land classification. Most land in Gateshead is Grade 3, where soil, relief, climate or a combination of these impose moderate constraints on cultivation. On Grade 3(a) land, which is the better part of the grade, cereals will normally give reasonable yields, but Grade 3(b) is mostly limited to forage root crops and permanent grassland.
Grain	The established pattern or arrangement of a group of buildings or an area.
Green Belt	A continuous area of open land close to or encircling an urban area where restrictive development policies apply.
Green corridors	A network of convenient and safe recreational routes set within an attractive landscape providing opportunities for walking and cycling within the urban area and making the countryside more accessible.
Green space	Any piece of land covered with vegetation. Usually refers to parks, golf courses, sports fields and other open land within the built-up area, whether publicly accessible or not. Allotments can also contribute.
Greenfield land/site	Land which has not been developed, including agricultural fields, agricultural and forestry buildings, parks and recreation grounds, allotments, woodland and other land that may never have had a permanent structure on it. Also included is land that was previously developed but which has reverted to nature or become green space.
Gross retail floorspace	Total floorspace contained within a shop unit, including office, storage and sales areas.
Ground Source Heat Pump	Device to increase the temperature of heat extracted from shallow depths in the Earth's crust or groundwater, making it suitable for lower-temperature heating systems.
Groundwater	Rain held underground in water-bearing, porous rock and subsoil.
Gross Value Added (GVA)	Contribution to the overall economy of an individual producer, industry or sector.
Hazardous installation	Any establishment which stores or uses hazardous substances which constitute a risk to people or property outside its boundary.
Health and Safety Executive	Government body responsible for safety in the workplace and providing advice on related matters.
Heat recovery	Extracting the heat from hot air being vented from buildings and returning it to them.
Hectare	Metric measurement of the area of land equivalent to 2.471 acres, an area 100 metres x 100 metres, or about the area of a football pitch.
Horsiculture	The use of land, frequently on the urban fringe, for the stabling and grazing of horses and ponies kept for recreation.
Housing Association	Non-profit-making housing developer/landlord providing housing for people on low incomes, subsidised by the Housing Corporation.
Housing Corporation	A Government body responsible for investing money in Housing Associations.
Housing Needs Assessment	Assessment of the amount and type of housing required in an area.
Hydro-power	Energy generated by a turbine from a flow of water, usually involving a dam to increase the head of water and thus the generating capacity.
ICNIRP Certification	A signed declaration that telecommunications equipment and installation has been designed to be in full compliance with the requirements of the radio frequency public exposure guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
Information Communication Technology (ICT)	A phrase used to describe technologies that handle information and aid communication.
Imported minerals and waste	Material not generated at the site where it is being extracted, tipped or buried.
Infill/infilling	Small-scale developments fitted into the existing pattern of development in a built-up area.
Informal recreation	Walking, sitting, picnicking, impromptu games not requiring marked-out pitches or other facilities, etc.
Infrastructure	Services which need to be in place to serve development, for example roads and footpaths, electricity, water and sewerage. In the case of public transport, refers to all fixed elements on the system, such as bus or railway stations, tracks, overhead lines, bridges, stops and shelters.
Inward investment	New investment or expansion of an existing investment in the borough from a company or organisation based outside the borough.
Kerbside recycling	The collection of recyclable or compostable wastes from domestic, commercial or industrial premises.
Knowledge-based economy	The generation and exploitation of scientific, technical and other knowledge and information where it has come to play a predominant part in the creation of wealth.
Labour force	People either in, or available for, paid employment.
Landbank	Stock of planning permissions for the winning and working of minerals.
Landfill Directive	European Directive which aims to harmonise controls over the landfilling of waste throughout the European Union and focuses on common standards for the design, operation and aftercare of landfill sites. It also aims to stimulate the recycling and recovery of waste and to reduce the amount of methane emitted from landfill
Landfill diversion targets	The Landfill Directive sets progressive targets to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill which were transposed into national law in Waste Strategy 2000.
Landfill gas	Variable mixture of methane and carbon dioxide given off by decomposing waste material. Non-toxic but can be explosive and cause suffocation.
Landscape Appraisal	A method of assessing landscape sensitivity and its capacity to accommodate a particular type of development, for example in terms of visual impact.
Landscape Character	The distinct and recognisable pattern of elements that occur consistently in a particular type of landscape. It reflects particular combinations of geology, landform, soils, vegetation, land use and human settlement.
Landscape Sensitivity	The character of a landscape and how vulnerable it is to change, assessed by considering the physical and perceptual characteristics of a given landscape character type/area in relation to particular forms of development.
Leachate	Water draining away from land and containing dissolved chemicals.
Lean construction	See Sustainable design and construction.
Legibility	Development that provides recognisable routes, intersections and landmarks to help people to find their way around.
Lifetime homes	Dwellings which are designed to a standard that allows easy adaptation to meet the needs of occupiers throughout their whole lives.
Listed Building	A building of special architectural or historic Interest included in a list prepared by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport under powers contained in section 69 of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
Liveability	The balance between all aspects of the form and function of the local environment.
Local Access Forum	Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, all authorities with responsibility for the management of public rights of way must set up a Local Access Forum. The role of the Forum is to advise the highway authority on the improvement of rights of way and countryside access in the area. A joint Local Access Forum has been established for Tyne and Wear.
Local Nature Reserve	A statutory designation, made by local authorities, of habitats of local significance where protection and public understanding of nature conservation are encouraged.
Local Open Space	Publicly-accessible open space which is readily available to nearby residents for regular casual use.
Local Transport Plan (LTP)	The Tyne and Wear LTP is the statutory document which sets out the joint approach to integrated transport provision across Tyne and Wear, jointly prepared by the five local authorities and the Passenger Transport Authority.
Marine Aggregates	Aggregates won from the sea.
Mass/massing	The combined effect of the size and shape of a building or group of buildings.
Materials reducing facilities (MRFs)	Specialised plants that separate, process and store recyclables which have either been collected separately from waste (a "clean" MRF) or are mixed with it (a "dirty" MRF).
Minerals Planning Guidance notes (MPGs)	Government policy documents which are the equivalent for minerals to Planning Policy Guidance notes (see that definition) for other aspects of planning. Similarly, they are to be replaced by Minerals Planning Statements (MPSs).
Mixed-use development	The development of more than one land use on a single site or within a building (such as residential, retail, offices, and recreation) which can co-exist without undue conflict.
Monitoring	Continuous or regular survey aimed at discovering whether the plan is in need of review.
MPG	See Minerals Planning Guidance notes.
Multiple occupation	The occupation by more than one household of a dwelling which was originally designed as a single household space. Includes bedsits/flatlets, hostels, guest houses/bed and breakfast/small hotels, self-contained flats sharing a common external entrance, care homes, and facilities taking in more than a certain number of lodgers.
Municipal solid waste (MSW)	Household waste and other wastes collected by a waste collection authority or its contractor, such as municipal parks and gardens waste, and any commercial and industrial waste for which the collection authority takes responsibility
Natural England	A new integrated agency comprising all of English Nature, the landscape, access and recreation elements of the Countryside Agency and the environment land management function of the Rural Development Service (RDS). This single statutory organisation champions integrated resource management, nature conservation, biodiversity, landscape, access and recreation.
Natural surveillance	Self-policing promoted by the incorporation of design and layout features such as lighting, ensuring that public spaces are permeable and overlooked from buildings, ensuring active uses are located at the front of buildings and encouraging activity during business and evening hours.
Natural ventilation	Controllable ventilation without the use of a fan; therefore 'free' energy.
Neighbourhood Open Space	Publicly accessible open space of two hectares or more suitable for active informal recreation such as kickabouts, including appropriate parts of formal parks.
Newcastle Science City	Scheme for a specialised research and development quarter in Newcastle, linked to other such sites elsewhere in the North East.
Nexus	See Passenger Transport Authority
Non-woody biomass	Human and animal wastes (e.g. slurry, chicken litter, and industrial and municipal biodegradable wastes including food processing wastes) and high energy crops such as rape, wheat, barley, sugar beet, sugar cane and maize, which can be processed to produce biofuels, bioethanol and biodiesel.
North East region	The counties of Tyne and Wear, Durham, Northumberland and Tees Valley (comprising the former county of Cleveland and the borough of Darlington).
North East Renewable Energy Group (NEREG)	Multi-agency group which steered the preparation of the draft RRES.
Northern Way	A cross-regional strategy created by the three Northern Regional Development Agencies (RDAs); North East, North West, and Yorkshire and Humberside and their partners. The purpose of the
	strategy is to promote economic growth across the North of England by building on the assets of the three regions, focusing on the eight City Regions.
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)	Superseded by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Out-of-centre	Locations or facilities which are clearly separate from established shopping areas, including town, district and local centres.
Park and ride	Provision of facilities to allow a journey to be begun by private transport and completed by public transport. The term is normally applied to schemes to encourage the use of public transport and reduce congestion in town and city centres by providing car parking facilities outside the centre, connected to the central area by frequent public transport (buses, Metro).
Passenger Transport Authority (PTA) and Nexus	Body made up of representatives of the five district councils in Tyne and Wear, which is responsible for broad policy-making for public transport in the area, as opposed to operational and technical matters, which are the responsibility of the Passenger Transport Executive (PTE). The trading name of the PTE is Nexus.
Passive Solar Design	Construction of buildings to ensure that heat loss is avoided, solar radiation is utilised and natural ventilation reduces dependency on mechanical systems such as air conditioning.
Permitted development	Development which can take place without needing planning permission. See also Development.
Photovoltaics (PV)	The conversion of solar radiation (the sun's rays) to electricity, for example by the use of solar panels.
Plan period	The length of time that is catered for by the plan. In this plan, in most respects this is from the beginning of 2002 to the end of 2016. The period is slightly different for allocated employment and housing sites; see Appendices 1 and 2 respectively.
Planning brief	Detailed information provided by the Council, concerning specific requirements for the development of a site.
Planning conditions	Restrictions which are applied to a development accompanying the granting of planning permission. The Town and Country Planning Act empowers local planning authorities to "attach such conditions as they think fit" provided they are necessary, relevant to planning and to the development in question, enforceable, precise and reasonable in all other respects.
Planning obligations	Requirements on a developer to provide, or contribute money towards, facilities, infrastructure or other measures to make a development feasible or its impact acceptable. The obligation to make this provision can be legally binding and secured by a legal agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Planning permission	Formal approval given by a local planning authority (council), often with conditions, allowing a proposed development to proceed. Full permissions are usually valid for five years; outline permissions, where details are reserved for subsequent approval, are valid for three years.
Planning Policy Guidance notes (PPGs)	Government policy documents on different aspects of planning, which local planning authorities (councils) are required to take the content of into account in preparing their development plans. The guidance may also be material to decisions on individual planning applications and appeals. PPGs are now being published as Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) - shorter documents from which advice on practical implementation will have been removed.
Planning Policy Statements (PPSs)	New format of government statements on planning policy. See Planning Policy Guidance Notes.
Polycentric development	A spatial planning concept which is concerned with the connections between a number of places. By operating together they achieve a new critical mass that can sustain and grow businesses, services and facilities.
Prestige Employment Sites	Major sites that the emerging RSS identifies as critical to delivering accelerated growth of the regional economy e.g. the Baltic Business Quarter.
Pre-treatment of waste	The physical, chemical or biological processing of waste to reduce its harmfulness or volume and to facilitate its recovery or disposal
Previous ambient noise	The noise level, resulting from all sources in an area, that is exceeded for 90% of a given period. Previous ambient noise is measured in decibels and is "A weighted" to allow for the different response of the human ear to noise of different frequencies. For a time interval, T, the background noise level is expressed in decibels as dB.LA 90T.
Previously developed land (PDL)	Also known as "brownfield" as opposed to "greenfield". Land where there has previously been built development, transport infrastructure, industrial or mining activity, tipping etc., and which has not yet reverted to an established green state. Defined more precisely in Annex C of Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 - Housing.
Primary Employment Areas (PEAs)	The main industrial areas of the borough, which provide the key focus for economic investment. Within them, land and buildings will normally be used for employment purposes.
Primary Shopping Area	The core shopping area of Gateshead Town Centre, where changes of use from retailing to other shopping centre uses will only be permitted where no adverse impact on the vitality and viability of the Primary Shopping Area would result.
Project Orpheus	A Nexus-led project to develop proposals for the refurbishment of the existing metro system and to identify transport improvements in twenty-nine corridors across Tyne and Wear.
Proposals map	Obligatory component of the UDP which shows the geographical application of its proposals as accurately as possible on a base map prepared from an Ordnance Survey map.
Protected Species	Wildlife species which receive statutory protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, which include: badger, red squirrel, water vole and Schedule 1 birds (e.g. barn owl, kingfisher, little ringed plover, red kite) and their nests. Species that receive additional protection under The Conservation (Natural Habitats &c.) Regulations 1994 are defined as European protected species (EPS) and include bats (all species) and their roosts, great crested newts and their aquatic/terrestrial habitats, and otters.
Proximity principle	Disposing of waste as near as possible to its place of production.
Public art	Permanent or temporary physical works of art visible to the general public, whether part of a building or free-standing; can include sculpture, lighting, street furniture, paving and water features.
Public realm	The parts of a village, town or city that are available, without charge, for everyone to use. This includes streets, squares and parks.
Public Right of Way	A way over which all members of the public have a right to pass.
Pyrolysis	The process of heating fuel in the absence of air to produce charcoal and gaseous fuel 'syngas'. These can be burned in boilers, engines or turbines to generate heat and power.
Quality of Life (QoL)	Indicators which are measured on a voluntary basis. They are used to monitor the social, economic and environmental well being of an area, and aid in the assessment of national trends.
Rating Level	The specific noise level plus any adjustments for the characteristic features of the noise (BS4142:1997).
Receptor	Used in connection with the Environment Act 1995 (see contaminated land), it is either (a) a living organism, a group of living organisms, an ecological system or a piece of property which is in a category listed in Table A in Chapter A of Circular 2/2000 ("Contaminated Land") as a type of receptor, and is being, or could be, harmed by a contaminant; or (b) controlled waters which are being, or could be, polluted by a contaminant.
Reclamation	The process of rendering derelict or contaminated land and former mineral extraction and landfill waste disposal sites fit for beneficial use.
Recreational open space	Open space which can be used actively for general recreational purposes, rather than being merely un-built-on private land or only accessible for specific purposes, such as sports grounds or cemeteries. See para. 12.24.
Recycling targets	Statutory performance standards set under the Best Value regime.
Regional and sub-regional shopping centres	Out-of-town shopping centres generally over 50,000 square metres gross retail area, typically incorporating a wide range of comparison goods shops.
Regional apportionment	In Minerals Planning Guidance note 6 the Government predicts the national demand for aggregates and identifies the contribution which each English region is expected to make to meeting it. Within the region, the apportionment is further disaggregated to identify the expected contributions from individual Minerals Planning Authorities (MPAs) or groups of MPAs - the sub-regional apportionment
Regional Employment Land and Premises Research	Studies undertaken for the North East Assembly to inform the preparation of the RSS, detailed within the technical background paper 2, which consider current and future anticipated employment land and premise requirements and economic growth scenarios.
Regional Planning Guidance for the North East (RPG1)	A Government-approved statement of the overall planning aims for the region, setting the context within which individual local planning authorities (councils) prepare their development plans. Now being replaced by Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs).
Regional self-sufficiency	Concept according to which waste should be treated or disposed of in the region in which it is produced.
Regional Spatial Strategy	A government-approved and statutory document prepared by the North East Assembly (a co-ordinating body of the local councils), containing overall planning policies which local authorities' own development plans must conform to. See paras. 2.12 to 2.20.
Regional Transport Corridor	Strategic road and rail arteries that run through the
	region and connect main centres of economic activity.
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest	A register of gardens and other land, compiled by English Heritage, which are of special historic interest. The Register has no statutory force.
Remediation	(i) Any activity for the purpose of assessing the condition of contaminated land, controlled waters or any adjoining or adjacent land, or (ii) any works to prevent, minimise, remedy or mitigate the effects of any significant harm caused by contaminated land, or pollution of controlled waters, or to restore land or waters to their former state.
Remediation statement	Document which describes the extent and level of contamination on a site and how it will be made sufficiently safe for the intended end-use.
Renewable energy	Energy which occurs naturally and repeatedly in the environment, for example from the sun, the wind and the fall of water. Some other technologies are commonly grouped with these sources such as energy from combustible and digestible waste and the clean technology of fuel cells.
Renewables Obligation	An obligation on all licensed electricity suppliers in England and Wales to supply a specified proportion of their electricity from renewable sources to stimulate development of new technologies and to assist a competitive renewable energy industry in the UK.
Regional Renewable Energy Strategy (RRES)	Strategy prepared for the North East Assembly to assist in the preparation of a planning policy framework for renewable energy at regional and local level (March 2005).
Renewal	Bringing older built-up areas to modern standards through a combined process of redevelopment and improvement.
Residential neighbourhoods	Small areas into which the borough has been divided for the purpose of analysing the provision of Local Open Space. See Interim Policy Advice note 6.
Restoration	Use of subsoil, topsoil and/or other soil-making material to achieve the final or interim levels of a land reclamation scheme.
Retail warehouse park	Group of, usually single-storey, shops normally each with at least 1,000 square metres of floorspace, selling goods other than food, planned as a unit and with extensive shared car parking.
Re-use	In the context of waste disposal, using materials or products again without material reprocessing (e.g. the re-use of returnable milk bottles).
Rhythm	With respect to buildings, the regular succession or flow of form.
Rights of Way Improvement Plan	Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 local authorities are required to publish plans for improving rights of way and countryside access in their areas, taking into account the need to improve access for all people, including those with disabilities and those who are socially disadvantaged.
River Team Catchment Plan	A plan to conserve, enhance and where appropriate restore the total river environment through effective land and resources planning across the Team catchment.
Safeguarded sites	Land without planning permission for mineral extraction that has been identified as containing mineral deposits and which is protected from development which would sterilise the deposits or be a serious hindrance to their possible future extraction.
Scheduled ancient monument	Site included on a schedule of ancient monuments of national importance by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Screening	The establishment of planted areas, or the building of embankments, to reduce the impact of noise or visual intrusion from a development or activity.
Secondary aggregates	By-products of other processes not previously used as aggregates, e.g. mineral wastes and industrial by-products.
Secondary Employment Areas	Smaller industrial estates meeting local employment needs. See also Primary Employment Areas.
Section 106 agreement	See Planning obligation
Semi-natural woodland	Woodland consisting of tree species native to the area concerned.
Service industry/service sector	Any economic activity which does not produce a natural or manufactured product. Includes retailing, transport, local government, tourism and leisure, and banking and finance.
Settlement envelope	A boundary around a small settlement covered by the Green Belt, within which small-scale development, if permitted, would not threaten the integrity of the Green Belt.
Shadow flicker	The rare on-and-off flickering effect of a shadow caused when the sun passes behind the rotor of a wind turbine.
Shared ownership housing	Scheme which allows a householder to purchase a share in a property, the remainder being retained by a local authority, Housing Association or private company.
Silhouette	The image of buildings' outline against the sky
Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI)	Important wildlife sites which do not have statutory protection but are recognised by English Nature and local wildlife trusts as the most important sites of nature conservation value in Tyne and Wear not designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (see below).
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)	Site notified by English Nature and protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 on account of its national importance due to its flora, fauna, geological or physiographical interest.
SME (Small to Medium Enterprise)	An independent business managed by its owner or part-owners and having a small market share either by number of employees or turnover.
Social inclusion	Process of increasing the participation in work, education and society generally of people marginalised by lack of economic opportunity, educational achievement or other barriers.
Social polarisation	Communities divided because of economic, social, or educational inequalities.
Spatial planning/strategy	Planning which integrates policies for the development and use of land with other policies and programmes which influence the nature of places and how they function.
Special needs/specialist housing	Housing specially designed or adapted for those with particular physical or social needs such as the elderly or disabled, or with specialist staffing support such as for those with a mental health problem.
Special waste	Defined by the Environmental Protection (Special Waste) Regulations 1996 (as amended); broadly, any waste on the European Hazardous Waste List that has one or more of fourteen hazardous properties.
Sport England	Government body responsible for safeguarding, promoting, and funding sport and sports facilities and implementing the Government's strategic objectives for sport.
Stakeholder	An individual or group with an interest in a particular decision. This includes those who do, or can, influence a decision, as well as those affected by it.
Sterilise	To make a site unusable for a particular purpose; for example, land would be sterilised for open space or mineral extraction by being built on.
Street furniture	Elements include seats and benches, bollards, lighting columns, litter bins, shelters, canopies, balustrades, railings, handrails, guardrails, gates, barriers and cycle racks, all of which affect the appearance and functioning of public areas.
Sub-region	In this plan, area smaller than the North East but larger than the borough of Gateshead.
Sub-regional apportionment	See Regional apportionment.
Sui generis	A use which does not fall into any of the categories defined within the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987. See Appendix 13.
Superoute	A network of high-quality bus services across Tyne and Wear. Improved buses, passenger facilities and bus priority measures are provided through a partnership between local authorities, Nexus and bus operators.
Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG)	Additional advice provided by the Council on particular topics or policy areas or the development of particular sites and enlarging on its adopted plan. Policies in this plan are enlarged on by Interim Policy Advice, or, in the future, Supplementary Planning Documents (see Appendix 12).
Sustainability/sustainable development	The extent to which human activity of all kinds can be carried out without depleting the Earth's irreplaceable resources or damaging the environment in the long term; development conforming to this principle. The concept of sustainability is also used, loosely, in an economic and social sense.
Sustainable design and construction	Design and construction in accordance with environmentally sound principles of building and the use of materials, energy and water. In particular, such a building would minimise energy use, making the most of natural/renewable energy sources.
Sustainable drainage systems	Techniques used to control surface water run-off as close to its origin as possible before it enters a watercourse.
Sustainable waste management	Minimising the amount of waste that is produced, making the best use of it, and minimising any immediate and future risk of pollution from waste management practices.
Topography	The physical nature and more important surface features of a site or area.
Tourism	A tourist is defined as anyone who stays the night away from home, other than someone who does so for a considerable period of time as a regular part of a job or course of study. The term thus includes those staying in tourist accommodation as holidaymakers, visiting friends or relatives, or making a short-term business visit or attending a conference.
Tourist attraction	Area of natural beauty or built asset that draws visitors and generates additional spend in the region, through outdoor pursuits, leisure activities, cultural or sporting events, conferences and heritage experiences.
Townscape	The general appearance of a town, for example in terms of its streets and features.
Traffic calming	Methods of slowing down traffic, usually in residential areas or shopping centres, such as road humps or narrowing the width of roads.
Traffic management	Methods of managing the flow of, or routes taken by, traffic.
Transfer station	Licensed collection site where waste is stored or treated until a sufficient quantity has accumulated for transporting to a disposal point.
Transport Assessment	A document produced in support of a planning application where the development will have significant transport implications. Transport Assessments replace Traffic Impact Assessments.
Transport corridor	Land and buildings alongside or prominent from railways or major roads.
Transport Strategy Statement	see Gateshead Transport Strategy Statement
Travel Plan	Strategy for managing access to a site or development by a range of modes of transport, focusing on promoting access by sustainable modes.
Treatment operations	Physical, chemical or biological processing of waste before it is removed for recovery or disposal.
Tree Preservation Order (TPO)	Order made by the Council under section 198 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, to prevent the felling or pruning of trees of high amenity value without its consent.
Trunk roads	Motorways and the more important A roads which are the responsibility of the Highways Agency rather than the council; in Gateshead, the A1(M), the A1 and the A194(M).
Tyne and Wear	The Metropolitan Boroughs of Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside and the Cities of Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland.
TyneWear Partnership	A sub-regional strategic body directing, influencing and co-ordinating a range of economic development and regeneration activities, made up of key private, public and other interests. Their primary role is the delivery of the Regional Economic Strategy through attracting public and private funding.
Tyne and Wear Economic Strategy	Sub-regional economic strategy (Leading the Way; October 2004) published by the TyneWear Partnership which sets out the long term vision for the Tyne and Wear economy and key elements to achieve it.
Tyne and Wear City Region	An economic geography concept that recognises that large towns and cities in Tyne and Wear act as the focus for jobs, services and facilities for extensive hinterlands.
Unfit housing	Statutory definition encompassing housing which is considered not reasonably suitable for human habitation because of instability, serious disrepair, dampness, inadequate water supply or drainage, or the lack of toilet, washing, lighting, heating or ventilation facilities.
Urban fringe	Open land in the countryside immediately adjoining a built-up area.
Urban greenspace	See green space.
Urban Housing Capacity Study	An assessment of the potential of an urban area to provide additional housing.
Urban regeneration	The revival of prosperity and improvement of the environment in declining and run-down, usually older, parts of the built-up area.
Use Classes Order	The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 places uses of land and buildings into a number of categories. Planning permission is generally required for changes of use between classes but not within a class. See Appendix 13.
Veteran tree	A tree that is of interest biologically, culturally or aesthetically because of its age, size or condition.
Vista	An extensive view, especially seen through a long opening.
Void	Unused permitted capacity at a landfill site, whether licensed or not (the Environment Agency generally uses the term to refer only to unused voidspace which it has licensed).
Washed-over settlement	A settlement included within the Green Belt, and therefore subject to Green Belt controls, but where the principle of infill development is normally acceptable. Not all groups of dwellings are regarded as settlements. See also settlement envelope.
Waste arising	The amount of waste being produced.
Waste hierarchy	A theoretical framework that acts as a guide to the waste management options which should be considered when assessing the Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO). The most preferred option for dealing with waste is reduction, followed in order of priority by re-use, recycling and composting, energy recovery and disposal as the least favoured option.
Waste management facilities	This term embraces all facilities which handle waste, including sites for landfill waste collection and storage, composting, anaerobic and aerobic digesters, energy from waste facilities, thermal treatment facilities (steam treatment, gasification, pyrolysis, mass burn, refuse derived fuel), recycling plants, and mechanical and biological treatment as well as any new waste handling and treatment methods which may emerge in the future.
Wheelchair housing	Housing designed to be suitable for occupation by wheelchair users.
Wildlife corridor	Route comprising a continuous or nearly continuous stretch of open land, woodland or water, or any combination of these, which facilitates the movement of wildlife species. The corridors were originally defined by the Tyne and Wear Nature Conservation Strategy (1988).
Wind farm	A group of wind turbines.
Windfall site	Site becoming available for new development during the plan period, which was not available when the plan was being prepared or which it would be inappropriate to allocate for a specific use.
Wind turbine	Individual mounted propeller-like rotor using wind to generate electricity, either for a single site or as part of the national supply.
Woody biomass	Forest products, untreated wood products, waste wood, straw, and energy crops such as willow and poplar.
Zone of Visual Influence	The visual 'line of sight' or catchment area having the potential to be visually affected by a particular site or structure, such as a wind turbine.

< Previous Chapter | Top of page