Section 91: Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires-
"Authority" means the Local Planning Authority established by section 5 (c) of this Act;
"Board" means the State Urban and Regional Planning Board established by section 5 (b) of this Act;
"building" means any structure (whether of a temporary nature or not), erected or made on, in, over or under any land;
"commercial development" means any development or use of land or any building on the land for any of the following purposes-
(a) a shop;
(b) an office;
(c) hotel, guest house, night club, restaurant and way side stall;
(d) a warehouse and other similar storage facilities;
(e) a cinema theatre, sports stadium and a building providing indoor recreational and leisure facilities for a charge;
(f) a market; and
(g) any development or use of land or building on the land, for any purpose incidental to any of the above purposes;
"Commission" means the National Urban and Regional Planning Commission established by section 5 (a) of this Act;
"Control Department" means any agency performing the duties of urban and regional planning and development control at the Federal, State and local government level;
"development" means the carrying out of any building, engineering, mining or other operations in, on, over or under any land, or the making of any environmentally significant change in the use of any land or demolition of buildings including the felling of trees and the placing of free-standing erections used for the display of advertisements on the land and the expression "develop" with its grammatical variations shall be construed accordingly;
"development permit" means a permission to develop any land or buildings granted by the authority empowered to give such permission under this Act;
"development plan" means a plan indicating the manner in which an area of land should be developed;
"dwelling-house" means a building erected or converted for use primarily to provide living accommodation for one or more persons;
"enforcement notice" includes stop notice, contravention notice and a demolition notice;
"industrial development" means any development or use of land or any building on land for the purpose of-
(a) processing any mineral;
(b) extracting or producing by whatever means other than mining one product from another product or substance;
(c) repair and working on any mechanised equipment;
"Institutional development" means any development on the land for any of the following purposes-
(a) social welfare and community development, i.e. education, health care, religion and charity etc.;
(b) offices for party political organisations, trade unions, employees; association and any other organisation whose principal purpose is participating in public affairs;
(c) sports and social clubs but not clubs offering overnight accommodation for a charge for more than twenty persons;
(d) museums and art galleries;
(e) swimming pools available for use by members of the public with or without payment of a charge; and
(f) any development or use of land for any purposes incidental to any of the above purposes;
"land" includes any bUilding and any other thing attached to the earth or permanently fastened to any thing so attached, but does not include minerals;
"local plan" includes plan formulating in detail, within the context of the structure plan, the ways in which the policy and general proposals are to be implemented and includes any or a combination of the following-
(a) district plans which are plans designed for areas where factors in local planning need to be set out comprehensively; and
(b) action area plans which are plans for areas indicated (or identified) for action by structure plans i.e. where changes by development, redevelopment, or improvement need to be affected;
"metropolitan plan" means general policy and proposals for the physical, spatial and environmental development of a very large town or metropolitan area which may or may not extend over more than one planning authority's jurisdiction;
"Minister" means the Minister charged with responsibility for matters relating to Urban and regional planning;
"physical development plan" means any of the plans set out in section 1 of this Act and includes any schemes, plans or master plans approved under authority of any legislation repealed by this Act or made under any other authority of any legislation approved under this Act;
"plan" means land use proposal expressed in words and graphics;
"plan area" means the area of land designated by the planning authority with power to designate as the area for which a physical development plan is to be or has been made;
"region" means an area of land less than the country but more than a town area, having distinctive characteristics that distinguish it from other areas;
"regional plan" means statement of general policy and proposals for the development plan designed to channel the growth of such a region in desirable directions;
"rural area" means any part of the country which is not declared an urban area;
"structure" means any permanent or semi-permanent construction in which persons may reside, work or carryon other activities;
"Tribunal" means the Urban and Regional Planning Tribunal established under section 86 of this Act;
"urban area" means any area designated in accordance with section 3 of the Land Use Act.