RDA Single-pot

A source of funding provided by Regional Development Agencies to support regeneration activities administered by groups such as local authorities.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

Legislation seeking to prevent discrimination directly or indirectly in any functions carried out by public authorities.

Ramsar Sites

Sites designated under the European Ramsar Convention to protect wetlands that are of international importance, particularly as waterfowl habitats.

Real Time Information (RTI)

Electronically displayed and up-to-the-minute bus or train arrival information at public transport stops.

Reasoned justification

The supporting text in a development plan or Local Development Document explaining and justifying the approach set out in the policies contained in the document.

Reclamation (in terms of mineral operations)

Operations designed to return an area to an acceptable environmental state, whether for the resumption of the former land use or for a new use. It includes restoration, aftercare, soil handling, filling and contouring operations.

Recovery

Value can be recovered from waste by recovering materials through recycling, composting or recovery of energy.

Recycled Aggregates

Aggregates produced from recycled construction waste such as crushed concrete and planings from tarmac roads.

Recycling

The reprocessing of waste either into the same product or a different one.

Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF)

A fuel product produced from the combustible fraction of waste.

Regeneration

The economic, social and environmental renewal and improvement of rural and urban areas.

Regional / Local Gateways

Airports, main rail stations, ports, and motorways that form a traveller's first point of contact with the area.

Regional Aggregates Working Party

A working group consisting of local authority officers, representatives of the aggregates industry and central government established to consider the supply and demand for aggregate minerals.

Regional and Sub-Regional Shopping Centres

Out-of-town or out-of-centre shopping centres generally over 50,000 square metres net retail area, typically enclosing a wide range of comparison goods.

Regional Assembly / Regional Planning Body (RPB)

Each of the English regions outside of London has a regional chamber that the regions generally call Regional Assemblies (not to be confused with the term Elected Regional Assemblies). They are responsible for developing and co-ordinating a strategic vision for improving the quality of life in a region. The assembly is responsible for setting priorities and preparing certain regional strategies, including the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Regional Development Agency (RDA)

The nine Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) set up in the English regions are non-departmental public bodies. Their primary role is as a strategic driver of regional economic development in their region. The RDAs aim is to:

• co-ordinate regional economic development and regeneration

• enable the regions to improve their relative competitiveness

• reduce the imbalances that exist within and between regions

Regional Economic Strategy

These statutory strategies take an integrated and sustainable approach to economic development and regeneration by tackling business competitiveness, productivity and the underlying problems of unemployment, skills shortages, social exclusion and physical decay. They provide:

• a regional framework for economic development, skills and regeneration to ensure better strategic focus for, and co-ordination of, activity in the region whether by the agency or by other regional, sub-regional or local organisations;

• a framework for the delivery of national and European programmes and influence the development of government policy; and

• the basis for the RDAs' detailed action plans.

Regional Housing Board

Regional housing boards are established in each region to strengthen the linkages between housing, the planning framework, and economic development. They also co-ordinate arrangements for determining regional priorities for housing investment.

Regional Housing Strategy (RHS)

The regional housing strategy prioritises the housing needs of the region (by locations and/or types of expenditure) to allow decisions to be taken on how housing resources should be allocated within the region. It takes an overall view on regional housing need, housing investment priorities and affordable housing targets. This provides a regional context for local authorities in drawing up their own housing investment strategies and to identify regional priorities for housing investment to be funded through registered social landlords.

Regionally Important Geological Site (RIG)

A non-statutory regionally important geological or geo-morphological site (basically relating to rocks, the Earth's structure and landform).

Regional Planning Body (RPB) / Regional Asssembly

Each of the English regions outside of London has a regional chamber that the regions generally call Regional Assemblies (not to be confused with the term Elected Regional Assemblies). They are responsible for developing and co-ordinating a strategic vision for improving the quality of life in a region. The Assembly is responsible for setting priorities and preparing certain regional strategies, including Regional Spatial Strategies.

Regional Planning Guidance (RPG)

Regional planning policy and guidance issued for each region in England by the Secretary of State. As part of the reform process the existing RPG becomes the spatial strategy for the region until revised by a replacement Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS).

Regional Self sufficiency

Requires that most waste should be managed within the region in which it is produced.

Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS)

A strategy for how a region should look in 15 to 20 years time and possibly longer. The Regional Spatial Strategy identifies the scale and distribution of new housing in the region, indicates areas for regeneration, expansion or sub-regional planning and specifies priorities for the environment, transport, infrastructure, economic development, agriculture, minerals and waste treatment and disposal. Most former Regional Planning Guidance is now considered RSS and forms part of the development plan. Regional Spatial Strategies are prepared by Regional Planning Bodies.

Regional Sustainable Development Framework (RSDF)

High-level documents that set out a vision for sustainable development in each region, and the region's contribution to sustainable development at the national level. In doing so, frameworks take a wide overview of regional activity and the regional impact of government policy.

Regional Technical Advisory Body on Waste (RTAB)

Provides specialist advice on waste to the Regional Planning Body on options and strategies for dealing with the waste that needs to be managed within the region.

Regional Transport Strategy

A strategy produced by the Regional Planning Body, informing local transport plans, and providing a strategic overview of transport strategies and investment priorities.

Remedial work

The work needed to raise the quality of land to an acceptable level before it is used or developed. For example, contaminated land may need pollutants removing.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is energy flows that occur naturally and repeatedly in the environment, for example from the wind, water flow, tides or the sun.

Residual Waste

Waste remaining after materials for re-use, recycling and composting have been removed.

Restoration (in terms of minerals operations)

Steps to return land to its original or former condition following mineral working by using subsoil, topsoil or soil-making material.

Retail Floorspace

Total floor area of the property that is associated with all retail uses. Usually measured in square metres. May be expressed as a net figure (the sales area) or in gross (including storage, preparation and staff areas).

Retail Impact

The potential effects of proposed retail development upon existing shops.

Retail Impact Assessment

An assessment undertaken for an application for retail use (normally on developments over 2,500 square metres gross floorspace, but they may occasionally be necessary for smaller developments, such as those likely to have a significant impact on smaller centres) on the impact of the proposal on the vitality and viability of existing centres within the catchment area of the proposed development. The assessment includes the likely cumulative effect of recent permissions, developments under construction and completed developments. 

Retail Park

A grouping of retail warehouses.

Retail Warehouses

Large, usually out-of-town or out-of-centre units selling non-food items such as DIY, furniture, leisure and household goods.

Ribbon Development

Development, usually residential, extending along one or both sides of a road but not extended in depth.

Roundtable Discussions

A forum in which people making representations upon a Development Plan Document can express their views before a Government appointed Planning Inspector.

Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI)

A professional body furthering the art of town and country planning. Members can be accredited the status of MRTPI.

Rural Development Area

A rural area suffering a concentration of economic and social needs where regeneration initiatives are focused.

Rural Diversification

The expansion, enlargement or variation of the range of products or fields of operation of a rural business (branching out from traditional farming activities, for example new income generating enterprise like renewable energy, tourism and food processing).

Rural Exceptions Policy / Site

A development plan or Development Plan Document may allocate small sites within rural areas solely for affordable housing, which would not otherwise be released for general market housing.