Glossary

Glossary outlining various terms used through this website - letters E through to L
Term Description
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT/ EMPLOYMENT LAND Uses in classes 4 to 6 of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Scotland) Order 1997. Class 4 'business' covers light industry, office and research & development uses, which can be carried out in a residential area without detriment to amenity in terms of noise, vibration or pollution. Industrial uses fall within Class 5 'general industry' and Class 6 covers storage and distribution.
EFFECTIVE HOUSING LAND SUPPLY That part of the established housing supply that is expected to be free of development constraints in the period under consideration, and will therefore be available for the construction of housing.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT A process required for certain developments under the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1988 by which information about the environmental effects of a project is collected, both by the developer and from other sources, and taken into account by the planning authority before a decision is made on whether the development should be approved.
GENERAL INDUSTRY/ CLASS 5 DEVELOPMENT General industrial uses, which fall within Class 5 of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Scotland) Order 1997 and involve the carrying out of an industrial process other than those falling within Class 4 (Business).
GENERAL PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT ORDER The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 is a statutory instrument (secondary legislation) which sets out certain classes of development that are permitted without the need to gain express planning permission.
GEOMORPHOLOGICAL Relating to natural surface land form and natural surface processes.
GREEN BELT A national policy tool for containing and separating urban areas, as set out in SDD Circular 24/1985.
GREENFIELD SITES Land which has previously never been developed, or fully-restored, formerly derelict land which has been brought back into active or beneficial use for agriculture, forestry, environmental purposes, or outdoor recreation.
GREEN ROOFS Flat and sloping roofs which have some form of vegetation placed on them.
HARD ROCK Durable types of rock such as whin, basalt or dolerite used as aggregate for road building/ construction purposes.
HAZARD CONSULTATION ZONES Areas identified on the Proposals Map within which existing land uses and infrastructure constitute a potential source of hazard to the public.
HIGH TECHNOLOGY (HIGH TECH) A form of light manufacturing involving design and production as defined in Class 4 of the Use Classes Order. Examples of such industries include electronics and computer software.
HOUSING AND COMPATIBLE USES Areas within settlements boundaries as defined on the proposals map not covered by other policies/proposals.
HOUSING ASSOCIATION A non profit-making organisation committed to meeting specific housing needs.
HOUSING LAND AUDIT Assessment of housing land in the Structure Plan area as at 31 March each year undertaken by the four Lothian Councils in consultation with housing providers. The audit has two principal elements:

  • comprehensive schedules of all housing sites for which planning consent has been given or which have been allocated for housing in local plans or which have agreed potential for housing development; and
  • estimates of the likely construction programme for each site.
HOUSING PROPOSAL Sites promoted for housing with a reasonable expectation that construction will commence during the life of the plan.
INFILL DEVELOPMENT (OR SITE) A development or site located within a defined built-up area and involving redevelopment, conversion, sub-division or the development of undeveloped land.
INFRASTRUCTURE Roads, sewers, schools and supplies of water, gas, electricity and other services, which are needed to allow a development to take place.
LANDFILL The disposal of waste material by tipping into voids (holes in ground); may be used to landscape or reclaim excavated or despoiled land.
LAND RAISING The deposit of waste on and above the existing contours of the ground.
LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT The control, direction and initiation of activities and uses in the landscape which will lead to the appropriate conservation of that landscape.
LANDSCAPE PLAN A detailed plan showing the landscaping which will be provided as part of a development.
LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ZONES Areas with a distinct pattern or combination of characteristics in the environment including landform, landcover and location.
LISTED BUILDING A building included on the Secretary of State's list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest, which is afforded statutory protection under the Scottish Planning Acts.
LOCAL SHOPPING CENTRE A shopping centre, normally predominantly convenience shops, serving a local catchment.
LOCAL TRANSPORT STRATEGY Document prepared by the Council setting out its transport objectives and an implementation programme.
Glossary outlining various terms used through this website - letters M through to R
Term Description
MASTER PLAN A document containing information, supplementary planning advice and required actions to facilitate future development of a site.
MINERALS Any of a class of inorganic substances obtained by mining.
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE Waste collected by or on behalf of local authorities.
NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY GUIDELINES (NPPGs) Provide statements of government policy on nationally important land use issues and other planning matters. These should be taken into account by local planning authorities in the preparation of development plans and in development control. NPPGs are being replaced by Scottish Planning Policies or SPPs although most are extant.
NATIONAL WASTE STRATEGY Prepared by SEPA, this provides a framework to reduce the amount of waste produced and to deal with waste in more sustainable ways. The National Waste Strategy, and the EC Directives underlying it, require that councils, in their role as both waste management authorities and planning authorities, act in a new way and move from waste disposal to integrated waste management.
NON-CONFORMING USE A use which under normal circumstances would be contrary to local plan policy.
NON-RETAIL USES Defined as uses which fall within classes 2 and 3 of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Scotland) Order 1997 and others, which are likely to be used by shoppers as part of their shopping trip, which serve a particular community need or, which form part of a shopping centre's overall attraction.
OPEN SPACE Amenity Open Space - parcels of land and landscaped areas the principle function of which is to enhance the appearance of an area. Recreational Open Space - parks and areas of open land the principle function of which is to provide a facility for informal outdoor activities and sports.
PARK & RIDE FACILITIES Car parks adjacent to public transport facilities where encouragement will be given to terminate journeys by private car and continue travelling into the city by public transport.
PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT See 'General Permitted Development Order'.
PLANNING ADVICE NOTE (PAN) PANs are prepared by the Scottish Executive Development Department and contain advice on good practice and other relevant information.
PLANNING APPLICATION An application made to the local planning authority, seeking planning permission for development. Includes applications for outline planning permission and the approval of reserved matters.
PLANNING BRIEF A document which sets out the local planning authority's guidelines and requirements for the development of a specific site. When approved, they have the status of supplementary planning guidance.
PLANNING CONSENT/ PERMISSION Formal permission granted by a planning authority or Scottish Ministers for the development of land or buildings, including changes of use. Permission can be granted in outline or in detail. An outline planning permission establishes the principle of development; details of the development may be reserved and will require a further planning application.
PRIME AGRICULTURAL LAND Agricultural land classified by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland as Categories 1, 2 and 3(i) on the Macaulay System, and representing the land with the greatest agricultural productive potential.
PROPOSALS MAP That part of the local plan which illustrates on an Ordnance Survey base the effect or extent of policies and proposals contained in the Written Statement. In the event of an apparent contradiction, the provisions of the Written Statement prevail.
PUBLIC SAFETY ZONES (AIRPORT) Areas defined by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and located at each end of the main runway of Edinburgh Airport. Development is controlled in these zones in the interests of public safety.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT A communal form of transport other than private car or taxi and including rail, bus, tram and light rail.
RAMSAR SITE Wetland of international importance promoting the wise use of wetlands and requiring them to be protected from damage or pollution. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance was ratified by the Government in 1976.
REGIONALLY IMPORTANT GEOLOGICAL/ GEOMORPHOLOGICAL SITE (RIGS) A network of Earth science conservation sites of importance at a regional level. They are chosen on the basis of their educational, research, historical and aesthetic importance and can include features such as upland outcrops, coastal cliffs and river systems.
RENEWABLE ENERGY Energy flows, which occur naturally and repeatedly in the environment from the sun, wind, oceans, fall of water or from within the earth. Combustible or digestible industrial, agricultural and domestic waste materials are also regarded as renewable sources of energy.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R & D) A use defined in Class 4 of the Use Classes Order (Scotland) where the emphasis is on the development rather than the manufacture of products.
RETAIL USES Defined as uses which fall within Class 1 of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Scotland) Order 1997.
Glossary outlining various terms used through this website - letters S through to Z
Term Description
SCHEDULED ANCIENT MONUMENT A monument or site of archaeological importance which is in the guardianship of the Secretary of State or which has been scheduled by the Secretary of State as being of archaeological importance under the terms of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
SCOTTISH PLANNING POLICIES (SPPs) Recently introduced statements of Scottish Executive policy on nationally important land use and other planning matters, supported where appropriate by a locational framework.
SECTION 75 AGREEMENTS Legal agreements made under Section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 regulating the future use of the land. Such agreements are registered in the land register and are legally binding on future owners of the land.
SHELTERED HOUSING Groups of housing units provided for elderly persons who require occasional support and assistance from a resident warden but who do not require full residential care.
SITES OF IMPORTANCE FOR NATURE CONSERVATION (SINC) Sites within the local plan area which have been identified by the Council as being of known conservation importance in the local context in terms of their flora, fauna, geological or physiographical features.
SITES OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST (SSSI) A site designated by Scottish Natural Heritage as requiring special protection because of its flora, fauna, geological or physiographical features under the Wildlife and Countryside Acts.
SPECIAL NEEDS HOUSING Housing aimed at meeting the needs of particular groups within the population, including the elderly and those with mobility difficulties.
SPECIAL PROTECTION AREA (SPA) An area of international importance for birds designated under EU Directive 79/409 on the Conservation of Wild Birds.
STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL APPRAISAL A methodical and impartial assessment of the environmental effects and implications of (SEA) policy options or proposals through evaluating them against key sustainable development aims.
STRUCTURE PLAN The part of the development plan which deals with strategic land use and transport matters throughout the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian Council areas.
SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING GUIDANCE Documents such as design briefs, design guides, and standards which assist in determining applications and promoting development. They contain a level of detail inappropriate for inclusion in Development plans. Most of the Council's SPG is contained in the Development Quality Handbook.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Development to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
SUSTAINABLE URBAN DRAINAGE SYSTEMS (SUDS) Sustainable drainage systems which use techniques to control surface water run-off as close to its origins as possible, before it enters a watercourse. This involves moving away from traditional piped drainage systems to engineering solutions that mimic natural drainage processes, such as porous pavements.
TOWN CENTRE Centres which provide a broad range of facilities and services and which fulfil a function as a focus for both the community and public transport. The term excludes retail parks, neighbourhood centres and small parades of shops of purely local significance.
TRAFFIC CALMING Physical measures designed to slow traffic in order to improve environmental and safety conditions for local communities.
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT The exercise of controls on the use of roads to ensure public safety and optimise usage.
TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MEASURES A range of measures to keep traffic moving safely and efficiently, giving priority to public transport, pedestrians and cyclists.
TRAM An urban rail system using both segregated and on-street alignments. Also known as light rail.
TRANSPORT ASSESSMENT Provides information for the planning authority to assess fully the suitability of an application in terms of travel demand and travel impacts.
TRAVEL PLANS Documents prepared by owners or operators of development, existing or proposed, setting out proposals for the delivery of a sustainable travel pattern. They may deal both with passenger travel and business, commercial and freight traffic associated with the development. They relate to local targets for the reduction of road traffic, or for the promotion of walking, cycling and public transport in the Local Transport Strategy. Transport Plans may be required as a condition on planning permissions.
TREE PRESERVATION ORDER An order made by the local planning authority under Section 160 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, which may make provision for prohibiting the cutting down, topping, lopping, uprooting, wilful damage to, or wilful destruction of, specified trees or groups of trees or woodland.
UNDEVELOPED COAST The section of the coast not defined as Developed on the Proposals Map. Protected by national and international natural heritage designations.
URBAN AREA The built-up area contained by settlement boundaries as defined on the Proposals Map.
USE CLASSES ORDER The statutory instrument termed the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Scotland) Order 1997, which sets out various classes of use for the purpose of establishing when a change of use requires planning permission.
VILLA A detached or semi-detached house of a traditional and usually stone built character.
WAREHOUSING Distribution and Storage warehousing/buildings and sites where the principle function is the storage or distribution of goods as defined by Class 6 of the Use Classes Order 1997.
WASTE MANAGEMENT The reduction, reuse, recovery, treatment and disposal of waste including domestic refuse, demolition and road construction materials, industrial and agricultural waste, and sewage.
WASTE WATER TREATMENT Secondary treatment of waste water to prevent disposal of sewage sludge into local rivers.
WEST EDINBURGH For the purposes of the West Edinburgh Planning Framework, the A8 corridor linking Newbridge with Edinburgh Park, including Edinburgh Airport, the Royal Highland Showground and the former Gogarburn Hospital.
WINDFALL SITES Development sites which are not identified through forward planning processes but become available for various reasons.
WINDROW COMPOSTING Indoor or outdoor managed composting by turning rows of biodegradable waste. Indoor windrows perform better than outdoor methods due to control of moisture and temperature.
WRITTEN STATEMENT This document which, together with the Proposals Map, constitutes the Local Plan.

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