Agenda and draft minutes

There were no items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest made.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 19^th October 2023, be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

There were no public statements made.

The Planning Policy and Environment Manager presented the Panel with an annual monitoring report on the Doncaster Local Plan 2015-2035, adopted by the Full Council in September 2021.

A detailed and informative presentation accompanied the report covering the following key areas:

·       Local Plan recap including post adoption and implementation;

·       Local Plan Objectives, with a focus on the key monitoring indicators for Regeneration and Housing;

·       Appeals performance;  and

·       Levelling-up and Regeneration Act:  Reforms to National Planning Policy with respect to Plan-making.

Following the presentation the Chair outlined to the Panel that it was required to consider and comment on the performance and effectiveness of the Local Plan and the extent to which it continued to meet the Borough’s needs and objectives. Members therefore considered the following issues in detail:

General Performance of the Local Plan – It was explained that the Local Plan was performing well and serving the needs of the City, with both employment and housing development exceeding targets which confirmed the right sites had been allocated in the right place.  It was noted that as part of the Local Plan evidence base, the forecasting work undertaken was accurate and reflected the current position.  Linked to housing development were for example, affordable housing targets, policies for highways improvement and green infrastructure design which linked everything together providing a good quality of life for people across the City of Doncaster.

Planning appeal performance – in response to a Member questioning why there were still a number of planning applications going to appeal, it was explained that it was an applicant’s right to appeal if they were dissatisfied with the outcome.  Each application was considered on it’s merits with some overturned and some allowed.  It was noted that some appeals for development within the Countryside Policy area had been refused due to Local Plan policies.  It was further explained that the Government monitored appeal outcomes and would undertake an investigation if there was thought to be a problem.

The Service Director praised the Team that prepared the Local Plan, looking at the success rate of 85% of appeals agreed in the Local Authority’s favour, showing there were robust policies in place.

The Panel was reminded by a Member that Planning Appeal decisions were included in the Planning Agenda, for information.

A Member questioned benchmarking undertaken with other authorities and in response it was explained that this required a fair comparison and neighbouring authorities were at very different stages with their Local Plan process however, it was something that the officer would investigate.  The officer also offered to circulate the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Statement of Common Ground, that identified Doncaster’s, Sheffield’s, Rotherham’s and Barnsley’s housing requirements, completions and 5 year land supply position.  This would provide a flavour of the scale of ambition and delivery.  It was stressed that Sheffield would always have a different approach to Doncaster due to the city centre apartment density type accommodation.

Unadopted roads – It was clarified that when a developer approached the local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Senior Governance Officer presented the Scrutiny Work Plan and Council’s Forward Plan of Key Decisions to the Panel for it’s consideration.  She also requested that if Members were aware of any areas they wished to give consideration to in the new Civic Year to inform both the Senior Governance Officers and the Chair.

RESOLVED:  That the report, be noted.

Signed:         ______________________

Dated:          ______________________