Glossary
Affordable housing: Housing made available at a cost below full market value, to meet an identified need. It includes social rented accommodation, some private sector rented accommodation, and publicly subsidised housing for sale. It may also include unsubsidised entry-level housing for sale where it can be demonstrated clearly that the homes are affordable to low-income groups of households.
Brownfield land: Land which has previously been developed. The term may cover vacant or derelict land, infill sites, land occupied by redundant or unused buildings, and developed land within the settlement boundary where further intensification of use is considered acceptable.
Effective housing land supply: The part of the established housing land supply which is free or expected to be free of development constraints in the period under consideration, and will therefore be available for the construction of housing.
Established housing land supply: The total housing land supply - including both unconstrained and constrained sites. This will include the effective housing land supply, plus the remaining capacity for sites under construction, sites with planning consent, sites in adopted local plans and where appropriate other buildings and land with agreed potential for housing development.
Greenfield sites: These are sites which have never been previously developed or used for an urban use, or are on land that has been brought into active or beneficial use for agriculture or forestry i.e. fully restored derelict land.
Housing demand: The quantity and type/quality of housing which households wish buy or rent and are able to afford.
Housing requirements: The total amount and type of housing necessary to accommodate a given (or projected) population at appropriate minimum standards. This includes both housing needs and housing likely to be demanded in the market.
Housing land requirements: The amount of land required to be allocated for housing to meet the identified housing requirement.
Housing market area: A geographical area which is relatively self-contained in terms of housing demand; i.e. a large percentage of people moving house or settling in the area will have sought a dwelling only in that area.
Housing need: Refers to households lacking their own housing or living in housing which is inadequate or unsuitable, who are unlikely to be able to meet their needs in the housing market without some assistance.
Private sector housing: Housing for sale or rent provided by private developers or other commercial organisations. The term 'owner-occupied sector' excludes the private rented element.
Public sector housing: General and special needs housing provision by housing associations, local authorities and other social housing providers for rent.
Sustainable development: The Scottish Government adheres to the Brundtland definition of sustainable development, i.e. "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".
Urban capacity study: An assessment of the potential contribution to the housing land supply of all the possible sources of housing land beyond the immediate planning time horizon.