Affordable Housing:
Housing which can be provided at a subsidised cost to the consumer to enable those with insufficient income to gain access to full home ownership, or, housing provided on the basis of other forms of tenure which enable occupation by persons not normally able to gain access to housing available on the open market.

Ancient Semi-natural Woodland:
This term covers all ancient woodland which does not obviously originate from planting. A more detailed description of what has been included for the purposes of the Kent Ancient Woodland Inventory and Phase 1 Habitat Survey is included in the Ancient Woodland Inventory which can be viewed at the Borough Council’s Offices at Kings Hill.

Aquifer Protection Zones:
These are defined in the Environment Agency’s National Groundwater Protection Policy. They represent areas within which strict control over potential sources of pollutants of the ground is necessary in order to minimise contamination of natural water sources.

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty:
Areas of nationally important landscape designated by the Countryside Commission.

Area of Special Character:
Identified areas of low density development scattered within predominantly woodland settings.

Biodiversity:
The range of all different living species.

Biomass:
The overall stock of a natural living asset, such as woodland.

Borough Council Offices:
Where reference is made to the availability of documents at the Borough Council’s offices this should be regarded as Planning & Engineering Services, Park Building, Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, West Malling.

Built Environment:
The character of a built up area such as a town or village and all the physical features which contribute to and comprise that character.

Business Use:
Development falling within the uses listed in class B1 of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended).

Circular:
Guidance issued by the Government sometimes including policy advice.

Commuted Payments:
A financial payment normally made by a developer to a Local Authority under the terms of a Planning Obligation as a contribution to the cost which the Local Authority will incur in providing or maintaining facilities which may legitimately be required as a result of a development, but which for some reason it is not desirable or practical for the developer to provide and/or maintain.

Community facilities:
Facilities provided for public benefit such as village halls.

Compulsory Land Acquisition:
Where agreement cannot be reached on the voluntary sale of land required to carry out a proposal of a public body, there are procedures to enable the public body to compulsorily acquire the land so that the proposal may be carried out.

Conservation Area:
An area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance and which has been formally designated as such by the Local Planning Authority.

Counter-commuting:
People travelling from home to work in a direction different from the main flow of journeys to work eg from London to work in Tonbridge and Malling Borough.

Cross-subsidisation:
Development of open market housing which funds provision of affordable housing.

Curtilage:
In general terms, an area of land attached to a building.

Curtilage buildings:
Buildings within the curtilage of another (principal) building.

Damaged land:
Damaged land occurs where former uses have ceased and some form of treatment is desirable to provide a beneficial future use.

Planning Brief:
A document setting out the detail or principles by which development of a site should be carried out.

The Development Plan:
This comprises the approved Structure Plan for Kent, adopted Minerals and Waste Local Plans prepared by Kent County Council and the Borough Council’s adopted Local Plan.

Development Plans:
Includes the documents forming part of The Development Plan, and emerging Plans in the course of preparation.

Domestic paraphernalia:
Items normally found within the curtilage of a dwelling house such as washing lines, garden sheds, and greenhouses.

Environmental enhancement:
Schemes carried out by the Borough Council to improve the character or appearance of parts of the Borough.

Environmental intrusion:
Something which has an adverse impact on an area, for example, by virtue of its scale, massing, colour, lighting, or emissions emanating from it.

Environmental Statement:
A comprehensive study of the potential environmental impact of a development proposal which may be required to be submitted to the Local Planning Authority, or is voluntarily provided under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended).

Feasibility Studies:
A detailed study of whether a proposal is technically or physically possible and/or financially viable.

Flood Attenuation Schemes:
Construction of barrages such as walls and earth banks to prevent flooding.

Fresh land:
This is defined in the Kent Structure Plan 1996 as “land outside the existing confines of built up areas not with planning permission nor already allocated for new built development in any local plan.”

General Permitted Development Order:
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. A Statutory Instrument approved by Parliament which, among other things, sets out details of development which does not require the further permission of the Local Planning Authority.

Green Belt:
An area identified in a Development Plan where there is general restraint over new built development as set out in the relevant Development Plan policies and Planning Policy Guidance Note 2.

Inert materials:
These are defined in the Kent Waste Local Plan as “solid materials which either do not degrade or degrade only very slowly. They are clean and dry, generally dense and heavy and include soil, brick and rubble. In certain circumstances they can be used as a construction material (eg. as a sub base, or for bulk fill), or as cover at landfill sites.”

Infilling (at Rural Settlements):
This is defined in the Kent Structure Plan Policy RS2 as “the completion of an otherwise built up frontage by the filling of a narrow gap capable usually of taking one or two dwellings only”.

Infilling (at Major Developed Sites in the Green Belt):
This is defined in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 as "the filling of small gaps between built development".

Infrastructure:
Facilities necessary to serve the needs of communities such as roads and sewerage.

Institutional uses:
Sites used by a society or organisation for education, research, etc..

Interim Development Order:
An Order permitting mineral working granted after July 1943 and before July 1948 which has been registered with the Minerals Planning Authority in accordance with the terms of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991.

Intrusive use:
A use of land which has an adverse impact on an area by virtue of the appearance of the site, hours of operation, or emissions such as noise, odours or dust.

Light Rail Operations:
Purpose built passenger systems such as trams, which may run on conventional rail networks or roads.

Linear street character:
An area where the predominant built form is comprised of buildings which front onto the highway rather than in the form of culs-de-sac or courtyards and thus do not extend at any great depth from the highway.

Local Plan:
A document prepared in accordance with Section 36 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 containing proposals of the local planning authority for the development and other use of land in their area, or for any description of development or other use of such land, including such measures as the authority think fit for the improvement of the physical environment and the management of traffic.

Low Density Residential Areas:
Low Density Residential Areas: Areas of relatively low density residential development, comprising mainly bigger properties in large gardens, often with many trees.

Medway Gap:
Part of the Borough located generally between Wouldham and Kingshill, and West Malling and Aylesford.

Minerals Planning Authority:
The Local Planning Authority responsible for all matters relating to minerals extraction and treatment of sites after working has ceased. In Kent this is Kent County Council and the Medway Council.

Mitigation measures:
Works which lessen the impact of a development proposal, for example, tree planting and acoustic protection.

Noise Exposure Categories (NECs):
A means of assessing the impact of noise affecting residential developments as identified in Planning Policy Guidance Note 24: Planning and Noise.

Non-operational (and operational) parking:
Non-Operational parking is defined as parking for vehicles which do not have to park at particular premises in order for the site to function.

Non-Retail Use:
Any use which might be accommodated within a shopping area which does not fall within Class A1 of the Use Classes Order including banks, building societies, offices, restaurants, and cafes.

Notifiable Installations:
Sites using hazardous materials or processes identified by the Health and Safety Executive. The Health and Safety Executive must be consulted on any devprescribed by the Health and Safety Executive.

Open market housing:
Housing available for purchase or lease through private sales, estate agents etc.

Plan period:
30 June 1996 to 30 June 2011.

Planning Obligation:
An undertaking entered into by a landowner either unilaterally or by agreement with the Local Planning Authority related to the use of the land. An obligation may often be linked to the granting of planning permission, to secure facilities or require action to take place, without which planning permission might not be granted.

Planning Policy Guidance Note (PPG):
Planning policy guidance issued by the Government.

Public Transport nodes:
Locations where there is access to public transport services.

Renewable energy:
Energy flows that occur naturally and repeatedly in the environment, from sun, wind, wood, oceans and movement of water.

Residents’ Preferred Parking Zones:
Schemes operated by the Borough Council for specific areas where priority for parking spaces is given to residents.

Retail Use:
Any use falling within Class A1 of the Use Classes Order (ie. shops).

Retail Warehousing:
The use of premises for the retail sale of DIY home and garden improvement products, hardware, self-assembly or pre-assembled furniture, household furnishings, floorcoverings, electrical goods, motor accessories and motor vehicles.

Ribbon development:
Development in the countryside along road frontages.

Road hierarchy:
A hierarchy of roads has been established in terms of the physical characteristics of the road and the nature and volume of traffic using it. The Department of Transport and Kent County Council, as the Highway Authority, apply different policies to roads depending on their classification in the hierarchy. The Hierarchy of Roads in Tonbridge and Malling Borough are illustrated on Maps E and F.

Roofscape:
The character and appearance of a number of roofs of buildings in an area.

Rural diversification:
Changes in the use of land in rural areas introducing a variety of new uses in response to changes in levels of agricultural production and rural employment. It can include employment, recreation and tourism uses.

Rural economy:
Jobs and services operating in and serving areas outside the confines of the urban areas defined in the Plan.

Rural settlement confines:
Extent of the built up area of a settlement within which development may in principle take place without encroaching into the countryside.

Section 106 Agreement:
A Planning Obligation secured through a legal agreement authorised by Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest:
Areas of outstanding biological, geological or physiographic interest of national significance, designated by English Nature.

Sites of Nature Conservation Interest:
Sites of county importance for nature conservation identified in consultation with the Kent Wildlife Trust.

Special Landscape Areas:
Areas with a distinctive landscape quality of County-wide importance.

Special Needs Housing:
Housing specifically designed or adapted for those with disabilities, illness or infirmity.

Sporadic development:
Individual or small groups of buildings in the countryside outside the confines of any settlement as defined in the Local Plan.

Street furniture:
Items such as lamp posts, seating, litter bins and bollards.

Structure Plan:
Document containing planning policies to generally guide development throughout Kent. The policies of the Local Plan have been prepared in accordance with the policies of the Kent Structure Plan 1996.

Sustainability:
Meeting the needs of the existing population in a way that does not compromise the needs of future generations.

Tactile surfaces:
Specially designed paving with a patterned surface usulally used to enable people with impaired vision to be able to feel with their feet where there is a designated crossing point of a road, such as a pelican crossing.

Townscape:
The character and appearance of a portion of a town or street.

Traffic calming:
A scheme of highway alterations which maintains low traffic speeds in the interests of safety and environment.

Traffic generation:
The number of vehicular movements likely to be generated by an existing use or a development proposal.

Translocated soil:
Soil which has been moved from one place to another.

Visual intrusion/intrusiveness:
An adverse visual impact resulting from a development proposal.