THE CONSERVATION GLOSSARY

Local plans

- essentially these are maps and written statements, which formulate a local authority's strategy for the use and development of land and buildings. These are documents of considerable importance. They have to be adopted ie approved by government and public, but the local authority has wide discretion over content. These documents are therefore, potentially, extremely important to successful conservation practice, but in reality seldom are. Most authorities adopt an "add on" approach to conservation, rather than integrating it properly into mainstream planning. For good a good account of the success of creative conservation and its importance to the planning process, read "Conservation Today" by David Pearce.