Glossary

Landbanks: 1. Quantities of minerals known as 'permitted reserves' remaining to be worked at sites with planning permission for mineral working. They are designed to provide the industry with a level of supply of minerals that should be available in the market at any time. 2. Housebuilders' land holdings with outline or full planning permission.
Landfill: The practice of disposing of domestic and commerical waste in large holes in the ground. The Government's Waste Strategy 2000 aims to reduce the amount of biodegradeable waste disposed of in landfill sites.
Landraising: Using waste material to raise the height of the land above original, or previously existing, ground levels. It does not include the spreading of sewage sludge on agricultural land.
Landscape: The appearance of land, including its shape, form, colours and elements, the way these components combine in a way that is distinctive to particular localities, the way they are perceived, and an area's cultural and historical associations. Landscape character can be expressed through landscape appraisal, and maps or plans
Landscape character assessment: A tool to identify and understand the factors that give character to the landscape and to help inform policy and decisions about how the landscape may change in the future.
Land use: The way land is used or developed.
Land use planning: The framework for how land is used and developed is largely provided by the town and country planning system, which aims to secure the most efficient and effective use of land in the public interest, and to ensure that facilities like roads, schools and sewers are built where they are needed.
Listed building: A building or other structure of special architectural or historic interest included by the Government on a statutory list and assigned a grade (I, II* or II).
Local authority: The administrative body that governs local services such as education, housing and social services. An umbrella term that could refer to any unitary authority or county, metropolitan or district council.
Local designations: Designations of land, usually for its landscape or nature conservation interest, by local authorities in development plans. Confers a level of protection less than that which applies to national statutory designations like national park but greater than that which applies to undesignated areas.
Local development framework: A portfolio or folder of local development documents collectively setting out the spatial planning strategy for a local planning authority area. As a result of the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, it replaces local plans and unitary development plans (part 2).
Local development scheme: The project plan for how all parts of the local development framework will come together. It lists the documents to be produced and the timetable for producing them. Every local planning authority's local development scheme must be approved by the secretary of state.
Local Government Ombudsman: The Local Government Ombudsmen investigate complaints of injustice arising from maladministration by local authorities and certain other bodies. The objective of the Ombudsmen is to secure, where appropriate, satisfactory redress for complainants and better administration for the authorities.
Local government sub-divisions: England is divided into three types of areas: non-unitary authorities, unitary authorities and London boroughs. Non-unitary authorities are administrative counties with a two-tier structure, consisting of a county council and a number of district councils. Unitary authorities are single-tier authorities, combining the functions of county and district councils. In Greater London, the London borough councils have a similar status to the unitary authorities.
Local highways authority: See highways authority.
Local inquiry: Inquiry into a local plan.
Local minerals and waste plans: See minerals and waste development framework.
Local plan: A plan that sets out detailed policies and specific proposals for the development and use of land in a district and guides most day-to-day planning decisions. Before the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 came into force, most local planning authorities in non-metropolitan areas produced a local plan, which formed part of the development plan. Local plans drawn up since 1990 had to cover the whole area of the local planning authority that produced it. Hence they were sometimes called area-wide local plans. What metropolitan local planning authorities produced was called a unitary development plan instead of a local plan. Local development frameworks will gradually replace both types of plan over the next three years.
Local plan inquiry: See public inquiry and local inquiry.
Local planning authority: The local government body responsible for formulating planning policies (in a local development framework), controlling development through determining planning applications and taking enforcement action when necessary. This is either a district council, unitary authority, metropolitan council or national park authority.
Local roads: Local roads are a few motorways, all other 'A' roads and all other public roads (including 'B' and 'C' roads). These roads are the responsibility of the local highway authority.
Local strategic partnership: Local strategic partnerships are bodies with representatives of the community, public, private sector and other agencies that work to encourage greater public participation in local governance by drawing together local community plans and producing an overall community strategy for each local authority area. Local development frameworks must have regard to, and should be the spatial expression of, the community strategy.
Local transport plan: Plans that set out a local highways authority's policies and strategy on transport on a five-yearly basis. They are submitted to central Government, which approves and provides funding for the measures contained in the plan.
Local transport settlement: place in December each year and confirms how much money an authority will get from Government for the next financial year. Money is allocated following an assessment of the authority's local transport plan and annual progress report.