Glossary

1 - Glossary

Adverse flood impact
Flooding that adversely affects human safety, environmental impact/damage or the value or use of land, whether public or privately owned.
Adverse flooding may result from a change in:
  • peak discharge
  • run-off volume
  • impervious area
  • rate of run-off, ie the travel time of stormwater run-off through the catchment
At-grade
Any form of parking provided either on the ground level of a building or at ground level outside a building
Average Recurrence Interval (ARI)
The long term average number of years between of the occurrence of a flood as big as or larger than the selected event
Balcony
Includes any porch, patio, covered deck or verandah, but does not include any deck area which is not provided with a roof
Biodiversity
The different plants, animals and microorganisms, the genes they contain, and the ecosystems of which they are a part. The concept of biodiversity emphasises the inter-relatedness of the biological world, and encompasses the terrestrial, marine, and aquatic environments
Building Sustainability Index (BASIX)
A web-based planning tool for the assessment of the potential performance of new residential development in terms of its efficiency in energy and water use. It enables the production of a rating for a project on the sustainability index and where the required targets are met, the issuing of a BASIX certificate which must be submitted with development applications and complying development certificates. BASIX is implemented under State Environmental Planning Policy (Building Sustainability Index) 2004.
Building envelope
The three dimensional space within which a building can be built
Communal open space
An area on the site set aside for the purposes of providing deep soil zones, passive and active recreation areas and landscaping but does not include private open space.
Context
The broader setting of a place, the extent of which is influenced by the scale of development and the nature of surrounding land uses and patterns
Cultural trees
Trees that can be indigenous, native or exotic and are important for cultural reasons
dBA
Decibels of the "A-scale"- a set frequency weighted scale of noise which allows for lack of sensitivity to the ear to sound at very high and very low frequencies
Deep soil zone
A specified area of the development site, not covered by an impervious surface, that allows water on the site to infiltrate naturally to the groundwater and allows for the future provision of mature vegetation.
End of pipe
Stormwater quality controls that are designed to treat pollutants at the point of discharge rather than at source
Facade
The major portion of the building that addresses the principal street frontage on the site upon which the building is located
Fascia sign
A sign attached to the fascia or return of an awning
Flood fringe
The remaining flood prone land after floodway and flood storage area
Flood liable land
(being synonymous with 'flood prone land' and 'floodplain') is the area of land which is subject to inundation by floods up to and including an extreme flood such as a probable maximum flood (PMF).
Flood risk management plan or study
The catchment wide flood study prepared under the direction of the NSW Government Development Manual (2005) or previous versions, for the sustainable management of the floodplain including the management of existing flood risk, future flood risk and continuing flood risk
Flood storage area
The part of the floodplain important for the temporary storage of floodwaters during the passage of a flood
Flush wall sign
A sign which is attached to the wall of a building (other than the transom of a doorway or display window) and not projecting more than 300mm from the wall
Frontage
A boundary of a lot which abuts a road
Gentrification
The redevelopment of existing housing stock with new housing forms, thus improving property values, but often displacing low-income residents and small businesses
Groundwater
All water that occurs below the land surface in aquifers
Habitable room
Any room used for normal domestic activities other than a bathroom, toilet, pantry, walk-in wardrobe, corridor, lobby, photographic darkroom, clothes drying room, and other spaces of a specialised nature occupied neither frequently nor for extended periods
Height
of a building is the distance measured vertically between the topmost point of the building (not being a vent, chimney or the like) and natural ground level below
High pollution risk
Development sites that are considered to have a potential to impact on the receiving water quality. The following sites have been determined as being 'high pollution risk'.
  • fast food, drive in or take away restaurants with an uncovered floor area greater than 100sqm
  • shopping centres on allotments greater than 1000sqm
  • service stations
  • car wash bays
  • industrial developments or industrial units
  • developments with uncovered car parking for more than 12 cars
  • medium density residential developments (units/villas/town houses) having an impermeable surface area greater than 1000m2 (not including roof area)
Impervious surface
Surfaces which do not allow rainwater to penetrate into the underlying soil
Indigenous species
A plant or animal species that occurs at a place within its historically known natural range and that forms part of the natural biological diversity of a place
Isolated site
A site that has limitations on its future potential development because of its size and shape, proximity to other development and its ability to be consolidated with other properties for development purposes.
Landscaped area
Soft landscaping such as grass and trees as well as other elements of the outdoor environment including swimming pools
Legibility
The extent to which people can understand the layout of a place and find their way, including cues from three-dimensional forms and patterns in the landscape.
LEP 2001
Parramatta Local Environmental Plan 2001
Native
Indigenous to Australia but not necessarily to the area
Natural Channel Design (NCD)
Maintain the hydraulic conveyance requirements of engineered or affected channels while improving environmental values. NCD combines the disciplines of hydraulic engineering, fluvial geomorphology, in-stream and riparian ecology and community requirements. NCD involve the creation of channels with attributes of natural channels, including a meandering plan, pool and riffle zones, use of natural materials and riparian/floodplain vegetation
Natural functions
Functions associated with water movement such as water flow distribution, volume and quality
Natural ground level
means the ground level of a site before any site works have been undertaken to alter the naturally occurring height and/or contours of the land
Private open space
The portion of private land which serves as an extension of the dwelling to provide space for relaxation, dining, entertainment and recreation
Probable Maximum Flood (PMF)
The largest flood that could conceivably occur at a particular location
Public domain
Comprises the shared urban area and spaces, the structures that relate to those spaces and the infrastructure that supports and serves them (eg railway corridors, streetscapes, public car parks, parks and reserves, waterways and river systems)
Robust
Refers to the durability of buildings and structures.
Site Stormwater Management Plan (SSMP)
A plan identifying the potential impacts associated with stormwater run-off for a proposed development and providing a range of management strategies and appropriate measures for water quantity, water quality, water re-use and environmental concerns. SSMP needs to be developed in accordance with Council's Design and Development Guidelines and may form part of the development's overall Environmental Management Plan
Spatial
The relationship of space
Streetscape
The composition of elements in a street which create the urban form and includes elements such as building forms and styles, landscaping, street furniture, pavements etc.
Stormwater
Run-off from land during and after rain. Stormwater removes accumulated material including litter, soil, nutrient, pathogens, chemicals, pesticides, oils and grease
The City
The area defined as the Parramatta Local Government Area
Wall height
The vertical distance between the top of the eaves at the wall line (excluding dormer windows), parapet or flat roof (not including a chimney), whichever is the highest, and the natural ground level immediately below that point.
Waterway
Any stream of water, whether perennial or intermittent, flowing in a natural channel, or artificial channel which has changed the course of the stream of water and any affluent, confluent, branch, or other stream into or from which the river flows and, in the case of a river running to the sea or into any coastal bay or inlet or into a coastal lake, includes the estuary of such river and any arm or branch of same and any part of the river influenced by tidal waters
Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD)
WSUD offers an alternative to the traditional conveyance approach to stormwater management. WSUD is a philosophy which aims to mitigate environmental impacts particularly on water quantity, water quality and receiving waterways, conventionally associated with urbanisation. Thus WSUD incorporates holistic management measures that take into account urban planning and design, social and environmental amenity of the urban landscape and stormwater management which are integrated with stormwater conveyance by reducing peak flows, protection of natural systems and water quality, stormwater reuse and water conserving landscaping