8.1 Air Quality Management Areas: Areas designated by local authorities because they are not likely to achieve national air quality objectives by the relevant deadlines.

8.2 Article 4 direction: A direction which withdraws automatic planning permission granted by the General Permitted Development Order.

8.3 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.

8.4 Climate change mitigation: Action to reduce the impact of human activity on the climate system, primarily through reducing greenhouse gas emissions

8.5 Community Infrastructure Levy: A levy allowing local authorities to raise funds from owners or developers of land undertaking new building projects in their area.

8.6 Designated heritage asset: A World Heritage Site, Scheduled Monument, Listed Building, Protected Wreck Site, Registered Park and Garden, Registered Battlefield or Conservation Area designated under the relevant legislation.

8.7 Development Management: Development Management is the process by which planning applications are determined.

8.8 Development Plan: This includes adopted Local Plans and neighbourhood plans and is defined in Section 38 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

8.9 DPD: Development Plan Document. These are policy documents on a specific topic or cover a specific area that make up part of the current Development Plan. For Ashford these are the Ashford Core Strategy (2008), Ashford Town Centre Area Action Plan (2010), the Tenterden and Rural Sites Development Plan Document (2010), the Urban Sites and Infrastructure Plan (2012) and the Chilmington Green Area Action Plan (2014). These can be found on the Council’s website http://www.ashford.gov.uk/development-plan-documents

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

8.11 Ecological networks: These link sites of biodiversity importance.

8.12 European site: This includes candidate Special Areas of Conservation, Sites of Community Importance, Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas, and is defined in regulation 8 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010.

8.13 Geodiversity: The range of rocks, minerals, fossils, soils and landforms.

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

8.15 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).

8.16 Historic environment: All aspects of the environment resulting from the interaction between people and places through time, including all surviving physical remains of past human activity, whether visible, buried or submerged, and landscaped and planted or managed flora.

8.17 HMOs: Houses in Multiple in Occupation: Housing which is occupied by 3 or more unrelated individuals sharing basic amenities.

8.18 HRA: Habitats Regulations Assessment. The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 transposes EU Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats of wild flora and fauna into UK national law. The Regulations provide for the designation and protection of 'European sites', the protection of 'European protected species', and the adaptation of planning and other controls for the protection of European Sites. Assessments for significant effects on habitats must be carried out and mitigation measure identified.

8.19 International, national and locally designated sites of importance for biodiversity: All international sites (Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, and Ramsar sites), national sites (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and locally designated sites including Local Wildlife Sites.

8.20 Local Enterprise Partnership: 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.

8.21 Localism Act: The Localism Act was introduced in 2011. Its aim was to devolve powers from central government into the hands of individuals, communities and councils.

8.22 Main town centre uses: Retail development (including warehouse clubs and factory outlet centres); leisure, entertainment facilities the more intensive sport and recreation uses (including cinemas, restaurants, drive-through restaurants, bars and pubs, night-clubs, 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).

8.23 National Planning Policy Framework. National planning policy (NPPF): This is the Government’s statement of planning policy with which all Local Plan’s must be in conformity. Where a local plan is silent on an issue planning decisions will be made in accordance with national policy. This document came into force in March 2012 and replaces the planning policy statements and planning policy guidance notes (PPS’ and PPGs). http://planningguidance.communities.gov.uk/

8.24 National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG): Supporting guidance to the NPPF. Guidance can be updated and is available to view under: http://planningguidance.communities.gov.uk/

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

8.26 Open space: All open space of public value, including not just land, but also areas of water (such as rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs) which offer important opportunities for sport and recreation and can act as a visual amenity.

8.27 Plan Period: The period covered by policies in the Local Plan (up to 2030).

8.28 Planning condition: A condition imposed on a grant of planning permission (in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) or a condition included in a Local Development Order or Neighbourhood Development Order.

8.29 Planning obligation: A legally enforceable obligation entered into under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to mitigate the impacts of a development proposal.

8.30 Pollution: Anything that affects the quality of land, air, water or soils, which might lead to an adverse impact on human health, the natural environment or general amenity. Pollution can arise from a range of emissions, including smoke, fumes, gases, dust, steam, odour, noise and light.

8.31 Previously developed land: 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.

8.32 Primary shopping area: Defined area where retail development is concentrated (generally comprising the primary and those secondary frontages which are adjoining and closely related to the primary shopping frontage).

8.33 Primary and secondary frontages: Primary frontages are likely to include a high proportion of retail uses which may include food, drinks, clothing and household goods. Secondary frontages provide greater opportunities for a diversity of uses such as restaurants, cinemas and businesses.

8.34 Priority habitats and species: Species and Habitats of Principle Importance included in the England Biodiversity List published by the Secretary of State under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

8.35 Ramsar sites: Wetlands of international importance, designated under the 1971 Ramsar Convention.

8.36 Regional Spatial Strategy: The Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East is the South East Plan adopted in 2009. This was produced by the South East England Regional Assembly which later became the South East England Regional Planning Body. This organisation and the South East Plan have been revoked under the Localism Act 2011.

8.37 Renewable and low carbon 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. Low carbon technologies are those that can help reduce emissions (compared to conventional use of fossil fuels).

8.38 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 qualifying households.

8.39 Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI): Sites designated by Natural England under theWildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

8.40 Special Areas of Conservation (SAC): Areas given special protection under the European Union’s Habitats Directive, which is transposed into UK law by the Habitats and Conservation of Species Regulations 2010.

8.41 Special Protection Areas (SPA): Areas which have been identified as being of international importance for the breeding, feeding, wintering or the migration of rare and vulnerable species of birds found within European Union countries. They are European designated sites, classified under the Birds Directive.

8.42 Wildlife corridor: Areas of habitat connecting wildlife populations.

8.43 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.