Accessible Natural Greenspace Standards: English Nature's research efforts have shown the valuable contributions of green space in urban areas to both biodiversity and society. They recommend that people should have at least one hectare of Local Nature Reserve per 1000 of the population, a 20ha site within 2km, a 100ha site within 5km and a 500ha site within 10km of their home. They also recommend an accessible natural green space within 300m of people's homes, however the definition of what constitutes accessible and natural is not clear cut as it is dependent largely on people's perception of that space.

Affordable homes: Affordable housing is 'affordable' in the local context, which the local authority defines with specific reference to incomes, house prices and rents. Affordable housing in the borough is defined as housing for people who are unable to afford to buy or rent on the open market.

Air Quality Management Areas: Local authorities have statutory duties for local air quality management under the Environment Act 1995. They are required to carry out regular reviews and assessments of air quality in their area against standards and objectives in the national Air Quality Strategy. Where it is found these are unlikely to be met, authorities must designate air quality management areas (AQMAs) and prepare and implement remedial action plans to tackle the problem.

Best value: Each Local Authority has a duty of continuous improvement as set by the Local Government Act 1999. This improvement involves consideration of costs to make the most of money spent, as well as making sure that services meet the needs of communities and authorities' priorities. Best Value is reported on annually using a series of nationally set performance indicators in a performance plan that details current performance levels, actions of the councils, and future performance standards expected.

Biodiversity: The 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms.

Biodiversity Action Plans: Biodiversity Action Plans are a nature conservation initiative aimed at conserving key features of local and national biodiversity (species and habitats), with a particular emphasis on a partnership approach to conservation. In 1994, a National BAP was developed as a reaction to the 1992 UN Convention on Biological Diversity. It contains 59 objectives for conserving and enhancing plants, animals and habitats. It promotes public awareness and contributes to international conservation efforts as well as involving the commitment of many stakeholder groups.

BREEAM standard: The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) provides a comprehensive standard for reporting on the environmental performance of non-residential buildings. The assessment includes energy efficiency, waste and water management of buildings and can help to reduce the running and maintenance costs of buildings and facilities.

Carbon monoxide (CO): is a gas emitted as a result of combustion processes, with 90% from road traffic emissions. This gas prevents the normal transport of oxygen by the blood. This can lead to a significant reduction in the supply of oxygen to the heart, particularly in people suffering from heart disease.

Contaminated Land: The EU Directive, 2004/35/CE, on environmental liability defines contaminated land as that is in a condition, by reason of substances in, on or under the land, that either significant harm is being caused or there is a significant possibility of such harm being caused; or pollution of controlled waters is being, or is likely to be, caused.

Eco Homes standard: Building Research Establishment's Eco Homes standard provides a comprehensive way of reporting on the environmental performance of residential development. The assessment includes energy, water, pollution, materials, transport, ecology and land use, health and well-being.

Ecological footprint:   Ecological footprint analysis measures the impact of human activity upon nature. The footprint expresses the land area that is required to feed, provide resources, produce energy, assimilate waste, and to re-absorb its CO2 output from fossil fuels through photosynthesis. This approach uses land as its currency, and provides a notional figure for the land area required, wherever and however located on the planet, that is necessary to support an individual, a community or a nation's population at its present standard of living. If all the biologically productive land and sea on the planet is divided by the number of people inhabiting it, the result is a statistical average of 2.2 hectares per person.

Fuel Poverty: The simplified definition of fuel poverty is of someone who spends more than 10% of their income on keeping themselves warm.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The six main greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change are carbon dioxide, methane, dinitrogen (nitrous) oxide, HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), PFCs (perfluorocarbons) and SF 6 (sulphur hexafluoride). They are produced at far higher levels than would naturally exist as a result of burning fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide accounts for the greatest proportion of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK followed by nitrous oxide and methane.

Gross Value Added (GVA): Gross Value Added (GVA) measures the contribution to the economy of each individual producer, industry or sector in the United Kingdom.

Indicators: The indicators are originally from the South East England Regional Assemblys Integrated Regional Framework, but have been adapted so that they are relevant to the borough. This means that they are useful measures locally, and can also be compared to other areas of England, including the South East.

Indices of Multiple Deprivation: The Indices of Deprivation 2004 are based upon 37 indicators collected at the SOA level. These indicators were divided up into seven domains of deprivation - income, employment, health deprivation and disability, education, skills and training deprivation, crime, barriers to housing and services and living environment.

Local Nature Reserve: Local Nature Reserve (LNR) is a statutory designation made under Section 21 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 by principal local authorities.

Motor vehicle flow: Average vehicle flows are derived from manual and automatic roadside traffic counts.

Nitrogen oxides (NO_x): Are formed during high temperature combustion processes from the oxidation of nitrogen in the air or fuel. The principal source of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) is road traffic.
Nitrogen dioxide can irritate the lungs and lower resistance to respiratory infections such as influenza. Continued or frequent exposure to concentrations that are typically much higher than those normally found in the ambient air may cause increased incidence of acute respiratory illness in children.

Ozone (O₃): A secondary pollutant produced by reaction between nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), hydrocarbons and sunlight. Sunlight provides the energy to initiate ozone formation; consequently, high levels of ozone are generally observed during hot, still sunny, summertime weather. Ozone irritates the airways of the lungs, increasing the symptoms of those suffering from asthma and lung diseases.

Particulate matter (PM10): PM₁₀ particles, the fraction of particulates in air of very small size (<10 µm) are of major current concern. They are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and so potentially pose significant health risks, through causing inflammation and ingestion of carcinogens. The principal source of airborne PM₁₀ matter in European cities is road traffic emissions, particularly from diesel vehicles.

Protected species classifications: The European Protected Species of animals are listed on Annex IV to the EU Habitats Directive. Not all of these occur in the UK; the terrestrial species that do occur are all species of horseshoe bats, other typical species of bat, Dormice, Sand lizard, Large Blue Butterfly, great crested newt, common otter, smooth snake, sturgeon and natterjack toad. Through domestic legislation in the United Kingdom (the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 applies in Great Britain) a larger number of additional species are protected by inclusion in Schedules 5 (animals) and 8 (plants) to the Act.

Renewable Energy: Renewable energy sources capture energy from existing flows of energy, from on-going natural processes, such as sunshine, wind, flowing water, biological processes and geothermal heat flows.

SAP rating: The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) is a measure of the energy efficiency of a property using a scale from 1-100. The higher the rating the more energy efficient the property.

Stakeholder Participation: Stakeholder participation is the involvement of all persons and communities with a stake, role or who in some manner will be affected by a proposed project or policy, in the decision making process of the project/policy design and implementation. Participation in the design phase of the project will help ensure the project will address and meet the needs of the stakeholders.

Site of Nature Conservation Value: Non statutory sites identified by Surrey Wildlife Trust and subject to public consultation through the local plan process.

Site of Special Scientific Interest: An SSSI is an area that has been notified as being of special scientific interest under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Social exclusion: The Office for the Deputy Prime Minister describe social exclusion as what happens when people or places suffer from types of deprivation such as unemployment, discrimination, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime, ill health and family breakdown.

Sulphur Dioxide (SO2): Sulphur dioxide is an acidic gas which combines with water vapour in the atmosphere to produce acid rain. SO₂ in ambient air can also affect human health, particularly in those suffering from asthma and chronic lung diseases. The principal source of this gas is power stations burning fossil fuels which contain sulphur.

Sustainable development: Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Bruntland Commission 1987).

Sustainable Urban Drainage System: Sustainable Urban Drainage System. These provide for more environmentally sustainable urban drainage through systems designed to reduce run off, slow its rate or provide for filtering, sedimentation and biological degradation of the water.

Travel Plan: A sustainable transport plan is a set of measures tailored to suit the individual circumstances of different locations, but with the common aim of reducing the impacts of travel to work/shop/school etc. Green Transport Plans are also an opportunity to raise the awareness of organisations and their employees about the consequences of their transport choices and the benefits of choosing suitable alternatives.

Unfit homes: A decent home, as defined by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, is one which is wind and weather tight, warm and has modern facilities; an unfit home is one which fails to meet this criteria.