UDP Part 3 - Glossary

UDP Part 3 - Glossary

Glossary

GL1 A self-contained dwelling is a residential unit of one or more habitable rooms, whose occupier has exclusive use of all his/her amenities, including kitchen, shower/bath and W.C., and which is a single and discreet unit.

GL2 A family dwelling means a dwelling containing at least a living room and two bedrooms (i.e. three habitable rooms) of which one bedroom must exceed 10.2 sq.m. (110 sq.ft.).

GL3 A non-family dwelling means a dwelling containing two habitable rooms or less.

GL4 Net floor area (of a dwelling) means the aggregate internal area of each floor as enclosed by the external walls of a dwelling. It includes the area occupied by internal partitions or walls, the area taken up on each floor by any staircase, the area of any chimney breast or fireplace. It excludes the floor area of any addition to the dwelling as originally built, dustbin store, fuel store, garage or balcony, any area in rooms with sloping ceilings to the extent that the height of the ceiling does not exceed 1.5m (5ft.) and any porch.

GL5 Net floor area (of a room) means the area of floor enclosed by the walls of the room measured to the opposing faces. It includes the area taken up by any bay window. It does not include the area taken up by any chimney breasts or flues, the circulation space required for access through the room to another room measured as 675mm (2.25ft.) wide and any area in rooms with sloping ceilings to the extent that the height of the ceiling does not exceed 1.5m (5ft).

GL6 Plot ratio is the relationship between the gross floor area of a non-residential building and the net area of a site in wholly non-residential use or of that part of a mixed use site in non- residential use. No land shall be included in the calculation of the permitted plot ratio for a development where that land has been included in the calculation of the permissible plot ratio for another development.

GL7 Gross floor area means the overall area of the building on each floor below or above ground. It includes at each floor level:

(i) the thickness of internal and external walls; 
 
(ii) stairs, service ducts, lift shafts, corridors and halls; 
 
(iii) any covered passage (other than a public right of way); 
 
(iv) cloakrooms, lavatories, kitchens and restaurants; and 
 
(v) basement areas (other than those used for car parking or for bank vault, strong room, safe deposit or plant room purposes).

Any space allocated for car parking, for loading and unloading commercial vehicles and for public transport operational purposes shall be excluded from gross floor area, as shall any roof-top plant.

Rooms and other spaces which continue through two or more normal floors of the building (e.g. theatres, lecture halls, and atria) will be assessed as occupying that number of floors, except where it is assured (preferably by legal agreement) that those spaces shall not be used for the subsequent provision of additional floorspace by the insertion of extra floors.

GL8 A habitable room is any room used or intended to be used for dwelling purposes above 6.5 sq.m. (70 sq.ft.) in floor area except for kitchens of less than 13 sq.m. (140 sq.ft.), bathrooms and WC's. Utility rooms will not be included as habitable rooms if they have direct access to kitchens and provided they do not exceed 6.5 sq.m. (70 sq.ft.) or the kitchen and inter-connecting utility room together do not exceed 13 sq.m. (140 sq.ft.). If a habitable room has a net floor area exceeding 20.5 sq.m. (220 sq.ft.), that area shall be assessed at the rate of one habitable room per 20.5 sq.m. (220 sq.ft.) or part thereof, but an exception may be made in the case of accommodation designed to be used exclusively as one-room sheltered and other special-needs housing units.

GL9 Net site area means the area of the site as measured to its boundaries and does not include parts of the adjoining public highway.

GL10 Density relates to the amount of residential accommodation in any given area. It is measured by calculating the number of habitable rooms per hectare or acre. For individual sites the gross site area is the appropriate unit of measurement.

GL11 Gross site area applies to density calculations for residential purposes and means the area of the site plus an area calculated by multiplying the length of the site's frontage onto adjoining street(s) by half the width of the street(s) (up to a maximum of 6m (20ft.) subject to the area thus added being no more than 10% of the net site area. No part of any river or canal or railway (or its embankments) or of any public open space shall be used in density calculations. Private open space to be used exclusively in association with a proposed development (including that provided for communal use) shall be included with the gross site area.

GL12 A roof extension means any extension to the original roof and can apply to a dormer window or full-width extension to the roof of a pitched roofed property. The context in which the term is used should in most cases describe the exact form of the roof extension.

GL13 A full-width roof extension means any extension to a pitched roof property which extends the existing roof from party wall to party wall, associated with the raising of those party walls irrespective of whether it is over the whole of the roof area or only a part of it.

GL14 A mansard roof is traditionally a double-pitched roof slope having the lower part steeper than the upper. It has recently come to include a steep single-pitched roof slope used to retain the appearance of a roof while allowing the introduction, within the roof space, of extra accommodation.

GL15 A dormer window or extension means a projecting vertical window in the sloping roof of a house (OED definition). The Council considers that any roof extension which takes less than 50% of each roof slope to the original dwelling house can be classed as a dormer window or dormer window extension provided that such an extension does not involve raising either party wall.

GL16 Back addition generally means that part of a Victorian or Edwardian dwelling (which predominate in this Borough) which projects beyond the rear wall of the main part of the building and is usually of a lesser height and width. This part of the building was designed to be subordinate to the main building and normally contained subsidiary accommodation i.e. kitchens, sanitary facilities and secondary bedrooms. It enabled the developer to achieve a greater density with a narrower frontage whilst still providing some light and air to rooms at the rear.

GL17 A building for the purposes of assessing plot ratio includes any structure or erection, and any part of a building, which comprises a roof and at least one side wall.

GL18 An Infill development means a development on a site where there is a need to ensure architectural continuity and a bulk and height of development equal to that of adjoining buildings.

GL19 The daylight and sunlight angles are normally measured from a point 2 metres above ground level along the area to be protected. The measurement could be from the boundary of the site, or the building's elevation or the street's centre line whichever is appropriate. (See the BRE's "Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight - A guide to good practice" for further details).

GL20 The hours of sunlight are measured from the path the sun makes on March lst.

GL21 A Registered Housing Association is a Housing Association registered with the Housing Corporation.

GL22 Local Register of Buildings of Merit means buildings which are of local interest because of their townscape, architectural or historic interest.

GL23 LPAC (London Planning Advisory Committee), was a statutory body set up in November 1985 by all 32 London Boroughs and the City Corporation as a consequence of the abolition of the Greater London Council. LPAC's main tasks (as laid down by Parliament) were: 

1. To advise the London Boroughs on planning and development issues of common interest to them. 
 
2. To advise Government Departments on what the Boroughs think about planning and development issues. 
 
3. To let local authorities around Greater London, and any bodies on which they and London Boroughs are represented, know what the London Boroughs think about the issues.

GL24 SERPLAN is the London and South East Regional Planning Conference, a non-statutory organisation established and maintained by the local authorities of London and the rest of South East England to monitor regional planning and transport trends and to enable the authorities to achieve a better understanding of the regional context and, by study and discussion, to secure co-ordination of policies. It gives advice on planning issues to the Secretary of State for the Environment and, when appropriate, to other Ministers.

GL25 Planning Obligations. Section 12(1) of the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 substitutes new sections 106, 106A and 106B for section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The new section 106 introduces the concept of planning obligations, which comprises both planning agreements and unilateral undertakings. It enables a planning obligation to be entered into by means of a unilateral undertaking by a developer as well as by agreement between a developer and a local planning authority. Such obligations may restrict development or use of the land; require operations or activities to be carried out in, under or over the land; require the land to be used in any specified way; or require payments to be made to the authority either in a single sum or periodically (see Circular 1/97 Planning Obligations for further details).

GL26 Planning Policy Guidance Notes are statements of Government policy on various topics issued from time to time to guide Local Planning Authorities in their operation of the planning systems.

GL27 ACE is an abbreviation for arts, culture and entertainment activities.

GL28 Green Corridors, for the purpose of this Plan, can be defined as extensive contiguous areas of trees and open space which straddle or run along the major road, rail and river/canal routes into London. They may be narrow, often only the "unused" margins of development, but are of value as habitats for wildlife and plants and local landscape features and because they may link nature conservation areas. Certain transport routes, such as the Thames and the Canal, also act as corridors for animals and plants in the same way as green corridors. However these have been designated as nature conservation areas because of their greater nature conservation importance, and are not shown as green corridors.

GL29 Green Chains are different from green corridors in that they comprise a series of elongated open spaces linking broader areas of open space, often across Borough boundaries. There are no green chains in the borough. Unlike Green Corridors they are normally accessible to the public.

GL29A Longer distance walking routes are being implemented through the London walking Forum and in the Countryside Agency's Thames Path National Trail.

GL29B Open Space. Land laid out as a public garden, or used for the purposes of public recreation, or land which is a used as a burial ground. It excludes individual private gardens, which do not serve a wider open space function, yards, roads and car parks.

GL30 Metropolitan Walk, a link in the London-wide network of walks being set up by the Countryside Commission and LPAC.

GL31 Public Art, consists of design features, such as artistic or craft work, for a new building, refurbishment, or extension which are provided by the setting aside of a percentage of the capital costs of the development.

GL32 The Arts, as mentioned in the Community Services chapter, relate to potential cultural activities which use buildings such as theatres and libraries.

GL33 Archaeological Priority Areas are areas of particular archaeological importance or vulnerability in the Borough which have been identified by the Council with the advice of English Heritage. In these areas the Council's policies and proposals for archaeological sites will particularly apply. Planning applications affecting such areas will generate appropriate consultation, which could in turn lead to further processes of site assessment.

GL34 Hostel: There are many kinds of hostel use. The policies of the Plan distinguish between two main types:

(i) Residential: accommodation usually occupied by people of a specific group with a common interest. There will usually be an element of management supervision or support and some communal facilities. It will normally be occupied on a medium to long-term basis by people who do not have permanent accommodation elsewhere. It may cater for a wide range of socio-economic groups, including homeless families. It excludes residential institutions in the C2 Use Class which provide a significant element of care. 
 
(ii) Tourist: normally short-stay accommodation for those whose normal residence is elsewhere.
 
They are for holidays or short stays and are sometimes open to the general public. They resemble hotels except that the accommodation is usually of a lower standard.

GL35 Green Travel Plans are aimed at helping employees to use alternatives to driving to work - for example public transport, walking and cycling. Green travel plans also address business' transport use and cover travel in the course of business. Travel plans can make a major contribution to easing congestion, especially during the peak periods.

GL36 Greater London Authority Road Network (GRN). The GRN is a network of strategically important roads in the Capital which provide for longer distance journeys and link London to the national road system. These roads include motorways, trunk roads and priority (red) routes. The Mayor will be responsible for developing a strategy for the GRN and Transport for London (TfL) will have direct responsibility for its management.

GL37 Local Implementation Plans. The Mayor is required to produce a London-wide strategy to cover all forms of transport (for goods as well as people). The strategy is aimed at providing a framework for tackling London's transport problems. Each Borough is then required to produce a Local Implementation Plan (LIP) for approval by the Mayor. Approval is based on the LIP being consistent with the Mayoral strategy and providing for adequate implementation of this within a suitable time scale.

GL38 Community Car Pooling schemes, also known as 'car clubs', are aimed at sharing the ownership and use of cars. Owning a car is expensive, but individual journeys are relatively cheap. Once a car is acquired it also acts as a disincentive to using public transport. Community car sharing schemes are one solution which has proved very successful in Europe and is now being looked at in trials in Britain. The principle is different from conventional car hire in that the cars are kept locally and can be used at short notice and for short periods of time. Community Car Pooling Schemes ensure that cars are available when people really need them, but reduce unnecessary use and pressure for parking spaces.

GL39 Biodiversity the term biodiversity includes all living things and the habitats in which they live.

GL40 Biodiversity Action Plans co-ordinate action to conserve and enhance biodiversity. A Local Biodiversity Action Plan is plan of action for protecting, conserving and enhancing biodiversity at a local level.