Article 4: A power available under the 1995 General Development Order allowing the Council, in certain instances, to restrict permitted development rights.

Certificate of Lawful Development: A legal document confirming the lawfulness of past, present or future building use.

City Centre Action Plan: sets out a blueprint for the development of the City Centre

Coventry Local Plan: adopted by the Council in December 2017, it sets out the Council's vision for the city for the period 2017 -2031.

Development Plan Document (DPDs): A Statutory Planning Policy Document which forms part of the Local Plan, setting out Strategic Policies and Development Management Policies.

Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMO): a property rented by at least 3 people who are not from 1 'household' (for example a family) but share facilities like the bathroom and kitchen. It's sometimes called a 'house share'.

Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA): provides an assessment of the development need in order to accommodate identified housing and employment requirements.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF): outlines the Government's planning policies and expectations which directly inform local policy.

Permitted Development Rights: certain types of building work and changes of use that can be undertaken without the need to apply for planning permission.

Sui Generis - A term used to categorise buildings that do not fall into other defined use classifications, in this context it means 'in a class of its own'.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA): a process which evaluates the environmental impacts of proposed policies.

Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA): provides an assessment of both housing need and demand.

Sustainability Appraisal (SA): an assessment of the effects (social, environmental and economic) of strategies and policies contained within DPD documents.

Use Classes Order: puts uses of land and buildings into various categories identifiable with B, C, E, F or SG.