Glossary

Scoping: The process of working out the issues, environmental impacts, alternatives and depth of investigation which an environmental impact assessment or strategic environmental assessment should go into.
Screening: The process of deciding whether a plan or programme needs a strategic environmental assessment.
Secretary of state: The secretary of state is the most senior Government minister responsible for the work of his or her department. The Government department responsible for planning is the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Section 106 agreement: The section of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 that provided for the creation of planning obligations, now to be replaced by Section 46 of the 2004 act. See also planning gain.
Site of special scientific interest: A site of special scientific interest is identified by English Nature under section 28 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 as requiring protection from damaging development on account of its flora, fauna, geological and/or physiological features.
Social inclusion/exclusion: A site of special scientific interest is identified by English Nature under section 28 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 as requiring protection from damaging development on account of its flora, fauna, geological and/or physiological features.
Soundness: The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires that development plan documents be 'sound' (see PPS11, paragraph 2.49). A straightforward interpretation of soundness is that the document shows good judgement and is able to be trusted. The Planning Inspectorate is developing measures and processes for assessing soundness and they include whether the document conforms with national planning policy, whether it has clear mechanisms for implementation, whether it is founded on a robust and credible evidence base, whether it has taken proper account of the views of the community and whether it has been prepared following the proper procedures.
Spatial planning: An expression having to do with a more wider view of planning, which involves coordination and integration across sectors like transport and industry, as opposed to the traditional, relatively narrow land use planning. For example, the Thames Estuary sub-region is being transformed by development across many sectors. Spatial planning would seek to influence and manage this process.
Standing Advisory Committee for Trunk Road Assessment: An independent committee appointed by the secretary of state for transport to advise on issues related to the appraisal of trunk roads.
Statement of case: A document served prior to an inquiry into a planning appeal, detailing full particulars of the case to be put forward, including the technical data on which the party wishes to rely.
Statement of community involvement: community involvement. Its aim is to specify how the authority will try to achieve consensus on emerging local development documents and major planning applications and how it will engage the public in the process.
Statutory: Something required by law (statute), usually through an act of Parliament.
Statutory agencies: Government agencies that are established by statute, or law. There are four environmental statutory agencies: English Heritage, the Environment Agency, the Countryside Agency and English Nature.
Stop notice: A notice served by a local planning authority prohibiting the carrying out or continuing of specified operations which are alleged to constitute a breach of planning control. The notice is designed to stop work pending the outcome of an appeal.
Strategic planning: A planning process that sets out the strategy to be pursued by the planning system. Strategic planning lays out what an area wants development to accomplish, the overall vision and policies for the planning system in that area. Strategic planning happens primarily at the regional and sub-regional levels.
Structure plan: The county-level statutory plan that sets out key strategic policies which provide the framework for more detailed policies in district-level local plans. With the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, structure plans will no longer be created. They will be replaced with regional spatial strategies and local development frameworks.
Supplementary planning guidance/ supplementary planning documents: Supplementary planning guidance, which is set to be renamed 'supplementary planning documents', can give further context and detail to local development plan policies. It is not part of the statutory development plan. Therefore, it does not have the same weight when local planning authorities are considering planning applications.
Sustainability appraisal: An appraisal of the social, economic and environmental effects of a plan or programme. Sustainability appraisal is required for all development plans. The Government intends to incorporate the requirement for strategic environmental assessment within the sustainability appraisal process.
Sustainable development: that tries to make sure people satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a good quality of life without compromising the quality of life for future generations. The Government will try to achieve that through five principles. These principles being,living within environmental limits, ensuring a strong, healthy and just society achieving a sustainable economy promoting good governance and using sound science responsibly.