Saved Policies / Saved Plan

Policies within unitary development plans, local plans and structure plans that are saved for a time period during replacement production of Local Development Documents.

Scheduled Ancient Monument

Nationally important monuments usually archaeological remains, that enjoy greater protection against inappropriate development through the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

Secondary Aggregates

Includes by-product waste, synthetic materials and soft rock used with or without processing as a secondary aggregate.

Secondary Shopping Frontages

A retailing area, secondary to the primary shopping frontage, that provides greater opportunities for a diversity of uses.

Section 106 Agreement

A legal agreement under section 106 of the 1990 Town & Country Planning Act. Section 106 agreements are legal agreements between a planning authority and a developer, or undertakings offered unilaterally by a developer, that ensure that certain extra works related to a development are undertaken.

Sequential approach / sequential test

A planning principle that seeks to identify, allocate or develop certain types or locations of land before others. For example, brownfield housing sites before greenfield sites, or town centre retail sites before out-of-centre sites.

Setting

The place or way in which something is set, for example the position or surroundings of a listed building.

Settlement pattern

A settlement pattern describes the way in which hamlets, villages, towns and cities are distributed in space and the relationships between them.

Shadow Flicker

The on-and-off flickering effect of a shadow caused when the sun passes behind the rotor of a wind turbine.

Shopmobility

Enabling of independent access to retail facilities through the provision of wheelchairs, scooters and escorts for people with physical or visual impairments.

Shop Fascia

Part of the face or elevation of a shop, displaying the retailer's names.

Simplified Planning Zone

An area in which a local planning authority wishes to stimulate development and encourage investment. It operates by granting a specified planning permission in the zone without the need for an application for planning permission and the payment of planning fees.

Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI) or Site of Biological Interest (SBI)

Locally important sites of nature conservation adopted by local authorities for planning purposes. (See also Local Nature Reserve).

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

A site identified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) as an area of special interest by reason of any of its flora, fauna, geological or physiographical features (basically, plants, animals, and natural features relating to the Earth's structure).

Site Visit

A visit to a proposed development site conducted by planning officers, councillors or inspectors to clarify the appearance of a site or visualise the effects of the proposal.

Sites and Monuments Record

List, description, and assessment of all known ancient monuments and sites of archaeological interest in an area including a map of each site.

SME (Small to Medium Enterprise)

An independent business managed by its owner or part owners and having a small market share either by number of employees or turnover.

Social Inclusion

Positive action taken to include all sectors of society in planning and other decision-making.

Soundness

To be considered sound, a Development Plan Document must be justified (founded on robust and credible evidence and be the most appropriate strategy) and effective (deliverable, flexible and able to be monitored). This is consistent with PPS12.

Source Protection Zone

The Environment Agency identifies Source Protection Zones to protect groundwater (especially public water supply) from developments that may damage its quality.

Spatial Development

Changes in the distribution of activities in space and the linkages between them in terms of the use and development of land.

Spatial Planning

Spatial planning goes beyond traditional land use planning to bring together and integrate policies for the development and use of land with other policies and programmes which influence the nature of places and how they function.

This will include policies which can impact on land use by influencing the demands on, or needs for, development, but which are not capable of being delivered solely or mainly through the granting or refusal of planning permission and which may be implemented by other means.

Spatial Vision

A brief description of how the area will be changed at the end of a plan period.

Special Area Of Conservation (SAC)

A site designated under the European Community Habitats Directive, to protect internationally important natural habitats and species.

Special Needs Housing

Housing to meet the needs of groups of people who may be disadvantaged, such as the elderly, the disabled, students, young single people, rough sleepers, the homeless, those needing hostel accommodation, key workers, travellers and occupiers of mobile homes and houseboats.

Special Protection Areas (SPA)

Sites classified under the European Community Directive on Wild Birds to protect internationally important bird species.

Spot-Listing

The process by which buildings are listed on an individual basis (often in response to a third-party request), rather than as part of a formal review of buildings in a particular area.

Standards Authority

A local planning authority producing an improvement plan, having failed to meet one or more government Best Value performance target for development control, relating to efficient planning application processing.

Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)

The Statement of Community Involvement sets out the processes to be used by the local authority in involving the community in the preparation, alteration and continuing review of all local development documents and development control decisions. The Statement of Community Involvement is an essential part of the new-look Local Development Frameworks.

Statement of Consultation / Statement of Compliance

A report or statement issued by local planning authorities explaining how they have complied with their Statement of Community Involvement during consultation on Local Development Documents.

Statutory

Required by law (statute), usually through an Act of Parliament.

Statutory Body

A government-appointed body set up to give advice and be consulted for comment upon development plans and planning applications affecting matters of public interest. Examples of statutory bodies include: Countryside Agency, English Heritage, English Nature, Environment Agency, Health & Safety Executive, Regional Development Agency, and Sport England.

Statutory Undertakers / Statutory Utilities

Bodies carrying out functions of a public character under a statutory power. They may either be in public or private ownership such as Post Office, Civil Aviation Authority, the Environment Agency or any water undertaker, any public gas transporters, supply of electricity etc.

Sterilisation

When development or land use changes prevent possible mineral exploitation in the foreseeable future.

Strategic Development Control Policies

These policies are implemented directly through the grant and refusal of planning permission and are part of the Regional Spatial Strategy.

Strategic Employment Site

A key employment site in a strategic location capable of accommodating major investment, often of national or regional significance.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

An environmental assessment of certain plans and programmes, including those in the field of planning and land use, which complies with the EU Directive 2001/42/EC. The environmental assessment involves the:

• preparation of an environmental report

• carrying out of consultations

• taking into account of the environmental report and the results of the consultations in decision making

• provision of information when the plan or programme is adopted

• showing that the results of the environment assessment have been taken into account

Structure Plan

An old-style development plan, which sets out strategic planning policies and forms the basis for detailed policies in local plans. These plans will continue to operate for a time after the commencement of the new development plan system, due to transitional provisions under planning reform.

Submission Document

A Development Plan Document submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination by a government-appointed planning inspector.

Sub-regional partnership

A sub-regional strategic body directing, influencing and co-ordinating a range of economic development and regeneration activities often made up of key private, public and other interests.

Sui-Generis

A term given to the uses of land or buildings, not falling into any of the use classes identified by the Use Classes Order, for example theatres, launderettes, car showrooms and filling stations.

Superstore

A self-service store selling mainly food, or food and non-food goods, usually of more than 2,500 square metres of trading floor space, with a large car park.

Supplementary Planning Document (SPD)

A Supplementary Planning Document is a Local Development Document that may cover a range of issues, thematic or site specific, and provides further detail of policies and proposals in a 'parent' Development Plan Document.

Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG)

Supplementary Planning Guidance may cover a range of issues, both thematic and site specific and provide further detail of policies and proposals in a development plan.

Sustainability Appraisal (including Environmental Appraisal)

An appraisal of the economic, environmental and social effects of a plan from the outset of the preparation process to allow decisions to be made that accord with sustainable development.

Sustainable Communities

Places where people want to live and work, now and in the future.

Sustainable Communities Plan

A programme issued by the government to set the framework for delivering sustainable communities over the next 15-20 years. The main areas of focus are housing supply, new growth areas, decent homes and the countryside and local environment.

Sustainable Development

A widely used definition drawn up by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987: "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

The government has set out four aims for sustainable development in its strategy A Better Quality of Life, a Strategy for Sustainable Development in the UK. 

The four aims, to be achieved simultaneously, are:

• social progress which recognises the needs of everyone

• effective protection of the environment

• prudent use of natural resources

• maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.

Sustainable travel / sustainable transport

Often meaning walking, cycling and public use of transport (and in some circumstances "car sharing"), which is considered to be less damaging to the environment and which contributes less to traffic congestion than one-person car journeys.