Glossary

Active Travel – A method of transportation which involves some form of physical activity. This may include walking, cycling or use of a wheelchair.

Affordable housing – housing for sale or rent, for those whose needs are not met by the market (including housing that provides a subsidised route to home ownership and/or is for essential local workers); and which complies with one or more of the following definitions:

a) Affordable housing for rent: meets all of the following conditions: (a) the rent is set in accordance with the Government’s rent policy for Social Rent or Affordable Rent, or is at least 20% below local market rents (including service charges where applicable); (b) the landlord is a registered provider, except where it is included as part of a Build to Rent scheme (in which case the landlord need not be a registered provider); and (c) it includes provisions to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households, or for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision. For Build to Rent schemes affordable housing for rent is expected to be the normal form of affordable housing provision (and, in this context, is known as Affordable Private Rent).

b) Starter homes: is as specified in Sections 2 and 3 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and any secondary legislation made under these sections. The definition of a starter home should reflect the meaning set out in statute and any such secondary legislation at the time of plan-preparation or decision-making. Where secondary legislation has the effect of limiting a household’s eligibility to purchase a starter home to those with a particular maximum level of household income, those restrictions should be used.

c) Discounted market sales housing: is that sold at a discount of at least 20% below local market value. Eligibility is determined with regard to
local incomes and local house prices. Provisions should be in place to ensure housing remains at a discount for future eligible households.

d) Other affordable routes to home ownership: is housing provided for sale that provides a route to ownership for those who could not achieve home
ownership through the market. It includes shared ownership, relevant equity loans, other low cost homes for sale (at a price equivalent to at least 20% below local market value) and rent to buy (which includes a period of intermediate rent). Where public grant funding is provided, there should be provisions for the homes to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households, or for any receipts to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision, or refunded to Government or the relevant authority specified in the funding agreement.

Amenity – An element that contributes positively to the overall character or enjoyment of an area. Biodiversity – A measure of the number and range of plant or animal species and their relative presence within an area.

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) – seeks to ensure that habitats for wildlife are left in a measurable better state than they were before development. Under Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as inserted by Schedule 14 of the Environment Act 2021), developers must deliver a BNG of at least 10% unless the development meets an identified exception.

Brownfield Land – See Previously Developed Land.

Cheshire East Council (CEC) – The Local Planning Authority for Congleton.

Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy – A development plan document for Cheshire East adopted on 27 July 2017 which sets out strategic priorities for the development of the area, along with planning policies and proposals to make sure that new development addresses the economic, environmental and social needs of the area. This is the first part of the Cheshire East Local Plan.

Cheshire East Site Allocations Development Policies Document – The Site Allocations and Development Policies Document is the second part of the Cheshire East Local Plan and provides detailed planning policies and land allocations in line with the overall approach set out in the Local Plan Strategy. It was adopted on 22 December 2022.

Congleton Neighbourhood Plan Area – Congleton Neighbourhood Plan Area or the ‘plan area’ in shorthand is the area for which the neighbourhood plan will apply and will be taken into account within decision-making.

Community Facility – A physical space or service which is open to the public and provides facilities providing for the health, welfare, social, educational, spiritual, leisure and cultural needs of the community. Community facilities can be provided by public, private or voluntary organisations.

Community Infrastructure – The basic facilities, services and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society. It includes community buildings and halls, leisure facilities, cultural facilities, education services, and healthcare facilities.

Designated Heritage Asset – Any building, site or landscape which is formally protected by law and recognised as having some sort of
significance. This includes Listed Buildings and Conservation areas, as well as world heritage sites, scheduled monuments and registered parks and gardens.

Development – Defined within the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, development means ‘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 buildings or other land’.

Development Plan – The development plan comprising the Development Plan Documents contained within the Local Development Framework. Within Cheshire East, this includes the Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy (CELPS) and the Cheshire East Site Allocations Development Policies Document (SADPD). Neighbourhood plans that have been approved at referendum are also part of the development plan, unless the local planning authority decides that the neighbourhood plan should not be made. The policies and documents which are contained within the development plan as a whole are used to determine all planning applications within an authority.

Evidence Base – The research, documents, analysis and verified evidence which has contributed to the preparation of the Congleton Neighbourhood Plan. It consists of many documents produced over a period of years by a range of different organisations the Local Authority as part of the process of developing its Core Strategy.

Examination – An independent review of the Neighbourhood Plan carried out in public by an independent examiner.

Green Belt – The Green Belt is a planning designation which serves five main purposes, including preventing urban sprawl, safeguarding the countryside from encroachment, preserving the setting of historic towns and to assist in urban regeneration. The essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence.

Infrastructure – The entire ancillary works and services which are necessary to support human activities, including roads, sewers, utilities, schools and hospitals.

Localism Act – An Act of Parliament which became law in April 2012. The Act introduces a new right for local people to draw up ‘Neighbourhood Development Plans’ for their local area.

Local Plan – A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two. Within Cheshire East, the local plan is understood as the Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy (CELPS) and the Cheshire East Site Allocations Development Policies Document (SADPD).

Material Consideration – A material consideration is a matter which should be taken into account in determining a planning application. This does not include the loss of view or negative impact on property value.

Mixed Use – Developments where more than one use is proposed. This may be at the site scale, whereby one site could have houses, shops and community facilities for example. Alternatively, one building could be used for different purposes such as offices or residential uses over shops.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published by the Government in March 2012 and most recently updated in December 2023. It sets out the Government’s Planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied.

Neighbourhood Plan – A plan prepared by a parish or town council or neighbourhood forum for a designated neighbourhood area, subject to examination and approval by local referendum. Once ‘made’, neighbourhood plans form part of the development plan and are used in the determination of planning applications by the Local Planning Authority which fall within the plan area where there are policies within the plan which are relevant to a development proposal.

Non Designated Heritage Asset – Buildings, sites or landscape which are identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions due to their heritage interest, but which fail to be of a significance which warrants formal designation.

Open Space – All spaces of public value, including public landscaped areas, playing fields, parks and play areas and areas of water such as rivers, canals, lakes and reservoirs, which may offer opportunities for sport and recreation or act as a visual amenity and a haven for wildlife.

Part M4 Building Regulations – Part M of the building regulations relates to the access to and use of buildings, which requires the inclusive provision of, ease of access, and circulation within, buildings, together with requirements for facilities for people with disabilities.

Permitted Development – are a national grant of permission which allow certain building works and changes of use to be carried out without the need for a full planning permission. Such rights cover residential, commercial and agricultural related development. Some permitted development rights are subject to conditions and limitations to control impact and to protect local amenity.

Plan Period – The period for which the Congleton Neighbourhood Plan will set policy for Congleton. This will be backdated to 2014 from the adoption of the Plan until 2030 by agreement between Congleton Town Council and Cheshire East Council.

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 was last occupied by agricultural or forestry buildings; land that has been developed for minerals extraction or waste disposal by landfill, where provision for restoration has been made through development management procedures; land in built-up areas such as 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.

Referendum – A vote by the electorate on a single question that has been referred to them for a direct decision. In the case of the Congleton Neighbourhood Plan, the referendum will decide whether or not to adopt the final version of the neighbourhood plan.

Servicing – The necessary activities and space which enables a use to function in its location. This includes things such as bin storage, deliveries and parking.

Settlement – Settlements are any urban areas which may include cities, towns, villages and small hamlets. The precise definition of which category each settlement falls into, often referred to as a settlement hierarchy, forms part of the development plan.

Settlement Boundary – The defined extent of an individual settlement as set out within the development plan. This boundary used to manage development within and outside of the settlement through related planning policies.

Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) – A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is the land notified as an SSSI under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), as amended. SSSI’s are a conservation designation which seek to protect the finest sites for wildlife and natural features in England, supporting many characteristic, rare and endangered species, habitats and natural features.

Sustainable Development – Resolution 42/187 of the United Nations General Assembly defined sustainable development as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The UK Sustainable Development Strategy Securing the Future set out five ‘guiding principles’ of sustainable development: living within the planet’s environmental limits; ensuring a strong, healthy and just society; achieving a sustainable economy; promoting good governance; and using sound science responsibly.

Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) – A drainage system that controls the rate and quantity of run-off of surface water from developments. Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are designed to manage stormwater locally (as close its source as possible), to mimic natural drainage and encourage its infiltration, attenuation and passive treatment. SuDS have nmany benefits including flood risk management, water quality management, improving amenity and biodiversity and providing space for recreation.

Urban Design – The process of delivering attractive, high-quality and sustainable places for people through development which is contextually responsive.

Use Classes – The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended) puts uses of land and buildings into various categories known as ‘Use Classes’.

Vernacular – In built form terms, vernacular relates to the architectural styles, features and building types which contribute to the local and regional differences in the character of buildings which may be observed.

Wildlife Corridor – Strips of land, for example along a hedgerow, conserved and managed for wildlife, usually linking more extensive wildlife habitats.

Windfall development – Sites not allocated for in the development plan which come forward for development. These are usually, but not always, small sites under 10 dwellings.

Working Group – A group of local people and Councillors representing the Town Council, community groups and businesses who have informed and guided the work on the Congleton Neighbourhood Plan.