Hastings Local Plan Consultation Draft (Regulation 18)
Definitions of Key Terms
Article 4 Direction: As defined in National Planning Practice Guidance (September 2020), this is a direction under article 4 of the General Permitted Development Order which enables the Secretary of State or the local planning authority to withdraw specified permitted development rights across a defined area. An article 4 direction cannot be used to restrict changes between uses in the same use class defined in the Town and Country Planning (Use Class Order) 1987 (as amended).
Affordable/Social Rent: Affordable Rent is rent capped at 80% of market rates. Social Rent homes have rents pegged to local incomes, and provide a truly affordable, secure housing option for people across the country. Affordable Rent and Social Rent homes are provided
by housing associations (not-for-profit organisations that own, let, and manage rented housing) or a local council. Affordable housing products such as "rent plus", which are made available for affordable rent in the short term, but are targeted at home ownership, are considered to meet the same local housing need as affordable or social rent.
Blue roofs: A blue roof is designed to allow attenuation and management of rainfall, managing water at its source. They are becoming a common approach to deliver sustainable urban drainage systems and manage local flood risk, particularly in dense urban environments.
Community facilities: Uses include clinics, health centres, crèches, day nurseries, day centres, schools, colleges and universities, art galleries (other than for sale or hire), museums, libraries, community halls, places of worship, law courts, non-residential education and training centres.
Comparison goods retailers: Shops that sell items where some comparison is likely to be made before purchasing goods; for example, clothing, carpets or electrical goods.
Convenience retailers: Convenience retailing is the provision of everyday essential items, including food, drinks, newspapers/magazines and confectionery
Green roofs: Vegetated layers that sit on top of the conventional roof surfaces of a building, which can support a wide range of plant life. Green roofs can create, or improve, biodiversity, contribute to minimising flood risk, improve thermal efficiency and improve the microclimate.
Green infrastructure: A network of green spaces and links designed to promote health and wellbeing as well as other environmental benefits. This includes formally designated open spaces, informal green space, gardens, woodlands, rivers and wetlands, as well as urban greening features such as street trees and green roofs.
Green technologies: Technology, the intended use of which, is to mitigate or reverse the effects of human activity on the environment, such as processes to recycle waste, purify water, create clean energy, or conserve natural resources.
Future Homes Standard: The Future Homes Standard is expected to amend Part L and Part F of Building Regulations related to new dwellings. It is anticipated it will require new build homes to be future-proofed with low carbon heating and world-leading levels of energy efficiency. It is expected to be introduced by 2025.
First Homes: New homes for first time buyers, which are marketed and sold at a discount of at least 30% below market value. This is a form of low-cost home ownership.
Heritage at Risk Register: Maintained by Historic England, the register includes buildings, places of worship, monuments, parks and gardens, conservation areas, battlefields and wreck sites that are listed and have been assessed and found to be at risk.
Industrial processes: This includes: manufacture of chemicals, manufacture of computer and electronic products, agri-tech, construction, manufacture of food, drink or other consumable products (including pharmaceuticals), fuel refining, manufacture of tools and machinery, manufacture of metal and non-metallic products, printing or recording, telecoms, defence, utilities and other manufacturing processes and their ancillary services
Local Industrial Employment Areas: Represent important local industrial sites in or adjacent to town and district centres with good access and transport links. Loss of industrial floorspace will not be permitted in these areas.
Shared Ownership: An alternative home ownership scheme which gives first time buyers, and those that do not currently own a home, the opportunity to purchase a share in a new build or re- sale property. Also referred to as part buy/part rent, Shared Ownership allows buyers to purchase a share of a home – usually between 25% and 75%. Purchasers will pay a mortgage on the share that they own, and a below-market-value rent on the remainder to a registered social housing provider, along with any service charge and ground rent. As the purchaser only needs a mortgage for the share they own, the amount of money required for a deposit is often much lower compared to purchasing a property outright.
Town centre uses: Retail development (including warehouse clubs and factory outlet centres); leisure, entertainment and more intensive sport and recreation uses (including cinemas, restaurants, drive-through restaurants, bars and pubs, nightclubs, casinos, health and fitness centres, indoor bowling centres and bingo halls); offices; and arts, culture and tourism development (including theatres, museums, galleries and concert halls, hotels and conference facilities).
Ramsar: A Ramsar site is the land listed as a Wetland of International Importance under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (the Ramsar Convention) 1973.
Specialist Housing: This category of housing includes the following types of homes: Age- restricted general market housing normally for people aged 55 and over and the active elderly and does not include support or care services; extra care housing or housing-with-care; and residential care homes and nursing homes.
Strategic Industrial Employment Areas: Represent key industrial sites within the overall functional market area and have potential for densification and new development or renewal of existing stock. Loss of industrial floorspace will not be permitted in these areas.
Urban Greening Factor: This is an approach which can assist developers and local planning authorities to determine the appropriate level of urban greening needed to address biodiversity conservation in development proposals. Its purpose is to increase the amount of greening in and around buildings. As well as traditional approaches such as planting trees, urban environments benefit from the addition of green roofs, green walls, rain gardens and other features.