PLANNERS make our lives very complicated by using apparently simple words in difficult ways.

Take these terms for example: AONB, Green Belt, Greenfield, Green Space and Public Open Space: they mean very different things in planning speak.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are outstanding landscapes whose distinctive character and natural beauty are so precious that it is in the nation's interest to safeguard them. Most of the land south of the A417 is part of the North Wessex AONB.

The Government says that planning permission should be refused for major developments in AONB except in exceptional circumstances and where it can be demonstrated they are in the public interest.

Green Belt is land around major cities such as Oxford designated primarily to stop urban sprawl. Two-thirds of all Green Belt land is in agricultural use and public access is limited to footpaths and bridleways.

Planning Policy says that local planning authorities should ensure that substantial weight is given to any harm to the Green Belt. Inappropriate development should not be approved except in very special circumstances.

Greenfield is simply a term used to differentiate land that has been built on (brownfield) from land that hasn’t (greenfield). The Government tries to encourage the effective use of land by reusing land that has been previously developed (brownfield land) but this does depend on the whims of developers who tend not to like clearing brownfield sites.

Local Green Space is a new designation to protect local green areas of particular importance to local communities.

Once designated, it is subject to the same strong development restrictions as Green Belt, and new development here is ruled out other than in special circumstances.

As with AONB or Green Belt, some areas may already be available for public access, other land could be considered for designation even if there is no public access. Designation does not confer any rights of access over what currently exists. Private land remains private land.

Public Open Space is exactly what it says, open space (green or otherwise) which is accessible by the public. It is generally owned by a public body or held in trust for the public. It has no protection in planning law.

There! Is that clear?

The Inspector who rejected the Wantage Neighbourhood Plan said that there is simply insufficient, proportionate, robust evidence to support the proposed designations for Local Green Spaces.

The criteria state that the space must:

- be in reasonably close proximity to the community it serves;

- hold a particular local significance because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value, tranquillity or richness of wildlife; and

- not be an extensive tract of land.

So we need lots of evidence.