20 minute communities: The 20-minute neighbourhood concept aims to produce compact and connected places offering a range of services to meet most people's daily needs. It involves the creation of attractive, safe, walkable environments that invite people of all ages to travel actively for short distances to use day-to-day facilities such as shops, school, community, employment and health and wellbeing facilities, green spaces.

Absolute zero carbon: Eliminating all carbon dioxide emissions without the use of offsets.

Active Travel: Travel that includes only those forms of transport that require active use of the human body for example walking and cycling, in comparison to sedentary travel forms like driving or getting the bus. 

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.

Airport Related Uses: Uses could include the following: further administrative accommodation for airlines, handling agents, tour operators, the airport authorities and government agencies; airside airport related retail and catering facilities. public and staff car parking; public transport facilities and enhanced services in accordance with airport travel plan; other facilities for general aviation; cargo facilities, including bonded warehousing and associated infrastructure; aviation maintenance facilities; training centres for airlines and related services.

Authority Monitoring Report (AMR): A report submitted to the government by local planning authorities assessing progress with and the effectiveness of the Local Development Framework.

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB): An area designated for its national landscape beauty value. The primary purpose is to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the landscape. North Somerset contains part of the Mendip Hills AONB.

Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP): A strategy prepared for a local area with the objective of conserving and enhancing biological diversity.

Biodiversity Net Gain: Delivery of measurable improvements for biodiversity by creating or enhancing habitats in association with development.

Bioenergy: Energy that is made from biomass or biofuel.

Biomass: Organic material of biological origin (plant or animal), used as fuel to produce electricity of heat. This will include wood, energy crops or animal waste from farms.

Blue Infrastructure: Streams, ponds, canals and other water bodies.

Carbon offset: Emission reductions or removals achieved by one building or asset can be used to compensate (offset) emissions from another building or asset

Carbon Neutrality: All carbon emissions are balanced with offsets based on carbon removals or avoided emissions. Often used as a synonym for 'net zero.'

Carbon Sequestration: The process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and incorporated as 'Biogenic Carbon' in 'Biomass', through photosynthesis and other processes associated with the carbon cycle.

Climate change adaptation: Putting measures in place to prepare for climate change.

Combined heat and power (CHP): An efficient way of generating electricity and heat simultaneously which can be used, for example, for district heating schemes.

Community Use: A cultural or community facility, whether or not provided on a commercial basis such as libraries, museums, cinemas, public and private open space, and other outdoor or indoor sports facilities, places of worship, schools, health centres, cemeteries and allotments. It also includes pubs, public utilities and theatres.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL): A charge which development will pay to help fund infrastructure needed to support development in the area.

Comparison retail floorspace: This term describes the retail of goods which include: clothing and footwear; furniture, furnishings and household equipment (excluding non-durable household goods); medical and pharmaceutical products, therapeutic appliances and equipment; and educational and recreation equipment and accessories. It specifically does not include the wholesale of goods.

Conservation Area: Designated areas of special architectural or historic interest, whose character and appearance it is desirable to preserve or enhance.

Custom build: Custom build homes are those where individuals work with a specialist developer to help deliver their own homes.

Design and Access Statement: A document provided to support a planning application that sets out the rationale and process that has been gone through in developing the design strategy for a proposal. Its formulation will depend in part on the nature of the proposal and the associated design issues present.

Developer contributions: Contributions from development proposals towards the provision of infrastructure and services necessary to serve the development such as schools, affordable housing or transport. Contributions may be financial or by direct provision of works or land, secured through legal agreements.

Development Plan: The statutory planning documents setting out the policies and proposals for the development and use of land and buildings in the local planning authority area.

Development Plan Documents (DPDs): Spatial planning documents which, once adopted form part of the Development Plan. They include the Core Strategy and other documents such as the Sites and Policies Plan.

Economic development: Economic development includes development within the B Use Classes, public and community uses and main town centre uses. It also includes uses that provide employment opportunities, generate wealth or produce or generate an economic output or product.

Embodied Carbon: Emissions of an asset are the total greenhouse gas emissions and removals associated with materials and construction processes throughout the whole life cycle of an asset.

Employment Land Survey: An annual review of employment development, monitoring activity on sites which have been allocated for employment use and other proposals.

Environmental Impact Assessment: A procedure to be followed for certain types of projects to ensure the decisions are made in the full knowledge of any likely significant effects of the environment. North Somerset Sites and Policies Plan 168 AB

Flood Risk Assessment: An assessment of the likelihood of flooding in a particular area so that development needs and mitigation measures can be carefully considered. A strategic flood risk assessment (SFRA) is carried out by the local planning authority to inform the preparation of its Local Development Documents, having regard to catchment wide flooding issues which affect the area.

Green Belt: Land designated around built-up areas to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open and where inappropriate development is tightly controlled. North Somerset includes part of the Bristol-Bath Green Belt.

Greenhous Gases (GHG): Both natural and man-made constituents of the atmosphere, that absorb and emit radiation at specific wavelengths within the spectrum of infrared radiation emitted by the Earth's surface, the atmosphere, and clouds. The most prevalent gases are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC's), perfluorocarbons (PFC's), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆).

Green infrastructure (GI): Green infrastructure comprises the strategically planned and delivered network of high quality green spaces and other environmental features and includes parks, open spaces, playing fields, woodlands, allotments and private gardens.

Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA): Any plan or programme which could affect sites of international importance for wildlife will be subject to the Habitats Directive and will require an HRA. This involves assessing whether the plan is likely to have any significant effect on the site. If so, a full Appropriate Assessment will have to be undertaken to assess in detail the likely effects.

Health Impact Assessment: A tool used to identify the health impacts of a proposal and to develop recommendations to maximise the positive impacts and minimise the negative impacts, while maintaining a focus on addressing health inequalities.

Heritage Asset: Is defined in the NPPF as '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 historic assets and also assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing).

Historic Park and Garden: A park or garden of special historic interest, designated by Historic England.

Infilling: The infilling by one or two residential units of a small gap in an otherwise built-up residential frontage.

Infrastructure Delivery Plan: A document identifying future infrastructure and service requirements identified by the Council and other service providers needed to support the delivery of the Core Strategy.

Land based rural business development: A business which requires a rural location and is totally dependent on the use of the surrounding countryside for its business success such as horticultural, equestrian development, farming.

Listed Building: Buildings identified as being of special architectural or historic interest. Special consent is required for development affecting Listed Buildings.

Local Green Space: Protected green areas of particular importance to local communities, holding a particular local significance regarding beauty, historic significance, recreational value, tranquillity or richness of wildlife.

Local Housing Needs Assessment (LHNA): Provides evidence of the types of housing that will be needed across a authority within their identified housing requirement for the local plan period.

Local Nature Reserve: Non-statutory habitats of local significance designated by local authorities where protection and public understanding of nature conservation is encouraged.

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.

Local Transport Plan: The Joint Local Transport Plan 4 (JLTP4) - led by the West of England Combined Authority, working with Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire councils. It sets out the vision for transport up to 2036 with the aim of achieving a well-connected sustainable transport network that works for residents across the region, a network that offers greater, realistic travel choices and makes walking, cycling and public transport the natural way to travel.

Major Development: For housing, development where 10 or more homes will be provided, or the site has an area of 0.5 hectares or more. For non-residential development it means additional floorspace of 1,000m2 or more, or a site of 1 hectare or more, or as otherwise provided in the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 .

Minerals Safeguarding Area: An area designated by Minerals Planning Authorities which covers known deposits of minerals which are desired to be kept safeguarded from unnecessary sterilisation by non-mineral development.

National Nature Reserve: Area designated with the aim of securing protection and appropriate management of the most important areas of wildlife habitat, and to provide a resource for scientific research. All National Nature Reserves are SSSIs. North Somerset Sites and Policies Plan 170 AB

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF): Document setting out the government's planning policies for England and how they are expected to be applied.