Glossary

De minimis: From the Latin de minimis non curat lex ('the law does not deal with trivial matters'). This is a term accorded to activities or changes too minor to fall within the legal definition of development. The local planning authority would decide that such changes would make no difference to the outward appearance of a building. This generally includes installation of equipment such as television aerials, microcells or small antennas.
Density: See housing density
Department for Transport: The part of Government responsible for transport. The Department's stated objective is to oversee the delivery of a reliable, safe and secure transport system that responds efficiently to the needs of individuals and business whilst safeguarding our environment.
Design guide: A document that provides guidance on how development can be carried out in accordance with design policies of a local authority . Design guides are issued by some counties and many district and unitary authorities.
Determination: Another word for decision. A local authority determines how to rule on a planning application or planning appeal.
Development: Most development needs permission to proceed. Development has a legal definition, found in section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. There are two parts to the definition. The first is operational development, which includes the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations in, on, over or under land. The second is changes of use, which covers the making of any material change in the use of any buildings or land.
Development control/planning control: Local planning authorities have powers to control the development and use of land. Development control is the process through which it determines whether (and for what reasons and with what conditions) individual planning applications should be granted or refused.
Development plan: The approved or adopted statutory land use and spatial plans for an area. The development plan sets a local planning authority's policies and proposals for the development, conservation and use of land and buildings in the authority's area. Under the present planning system, the development plan generally includes the structure plan and the minerals and waste local plans prepared by the county council and the local plan prepared by the district council - or the single unitary development plan prepared by unitary councils. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 replaces this system with a regional spatial strategy prepared by the regional assembly and a local development framework prepared by district or unitary councils. The development plan - with its polices and proposals - is the most important consideration for local planning authorities when they make a decision on a planning application.
Development plan document: Under the new system of local planning brought in under the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the term 'development plan document' covers any Local Development Document that is part of the development plan. A development plan document has to be independently tested by a Government inspector and carries full weight in relation to planning applications, which distinguishes it from a supplementary planning document. Development plan documents include the local planning authority's core strategy, area action plans and proposals map.