Agenda item

The Council considered a report, presented by the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, which summarised the next stage of the Local Plan process which was known as ‘Publication’ in line with Regulation 19 of The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.  A copy of the Doncaster Local Plan 2015-2035 (Regulation 19 Proposed Submission Version) was appended to the report alongside an electronic link to the Interactive Policies Map for reference, and further information as to its detailed content.  Key site allocations for housing, employment and minerals, as well as other Local Plan land use allocations and designations could be found via the online Interactive Policies Map.  The Proposed Submission Version Local Plan must be published for a minimum of 6 weeks to allow for representations to be made by any interested parties.

Further to the publication of the agenda for this meeting, an Addendum document had been provided to all Members of Council prior to the meeting, setting out a number of revisions that had been made to policies in the Local Plan (Appendix 1) document.  This was in light of objections submitted in writing by Elected Members in relation to individual site allocations in advance of the Full Council meeting.  It was noted that this information superseded the relevant policies contained within the agenda papers previously circulated to Members, and that the updated policy text would be included in the Local Plan if approved by Members.

Mayor Ros Jones, in presenting the report, emphasised that the Plan was key for encouraging new investment, stimulating jobs and growth and building new homes across Doncaster, and creating a Borough and environment that met the needs of its residents for years to come.  The Plan shaped the look and feel of Doncaster in the future, and helped grow the Borough, so that Doncaster would be a truly great place to live, work and enjoy.

Members were informed that the Local Plan built on Team Doncaster’s Growing Together Strategy, in order to maximise the benefits of the Borough’s many assets and opportunities whilst addressing its challenges.  The Local Plan provided sufficient housing sites to deliver at least 920 new homes each year, which ensured not just enough housing to meet the needs of its communities, but also ensured there was a workforce to contribute towards the planned economic growth and job numbers in line with the Council’s Inclusive Growth Strategy, and the aspirational and ambitious Sheffield City Region Strategic Economic Plan.

The Mayor explained that an essential part of housing delivery was the provision of affordable homes.  This was a national issue with under provision occurring across the nation.  The Mayor had ensured that all Members of the Council had received affordable housing information which illustrated this. She further explained that the status of this data was contextual, but should be taken into account to inform future decisions. Housing market delivery was unable to meet the actual need that was required, and this was the case across Doncaster and the Sheffield City Region.  It was therefore a priority that needed to be addressed, because it was clear that this Government and the private sector would not.

The Mayor further reported that she had tasked Officers to create a housing programme that applied Council resources and external funding to close the affordable housing gap across Doncaster.  This would ensure that the Council was delivering local homes for local people.  She confirmed that the Council would use relevant and current data to inform decisions regarding the Borough’s affordable housing needs to target local need on a settlement and sector basis, which would include housing for older people and those with special needs, such as physical and learning disabilities.  The Council would also use its land assets to deliver its housing programme, and where there was a need and the Council did not own a site, the Council would use its resources to acquire sites.

The Mayor stated that she had tasked Officers to set up seminars for Members on the important issue of affordable housing.  The affordable housing policy in the Local Plan, had been amended to make specific reference to offsite affordable housing provision that was generated by a development.  The resultant commuted sums would be used to target areas of need in the Borough, in order to assist with rebalancing the housing market. There would also be an annual commitment to review affordable housing provision, as part of the local plan monitoring. Overview and Scrutiny would also play an important role in this process.

The Mayor added that as well as building new homes, sufficient employment land was allocated to meet the plan period requirement of 481 hectares.  This included maximising Doncaster’s location on the strategic transport network, with strategic sites along the M18 and A1(M) corridors, and the Airport.  There was also provision for opportunities to achieve higher productivity jobs in sectors such as advanced manufacturing.  Key physical infrastructure and transport proposals were included, such as the North Doncaster A1-A19 Link Road, M18 Junction 5 Hatfield Link Road, A630 West Moor Link Improvements, East Coast Main Line Railway Station at Doncaster Sheffield Airport, and the reopening of Askern Railway Station.

The Mayor explained that their inclusion in the Plan would help ensure Doncaster continued to maximise funding opportunities when they became available, and deliver these hugely beneficial and much needed projects as expediently as possible.  She pointed out that the Plan was not about development at all cost.  It was a privilege to have a varied and diverse Borough made up of rich history and heritage.  Large parts of the Borough were very rural in nature with some internationally renowned biodiversity assets such as Thorne and Hatfield Moors.  The Borough had a plethora of greenspaces throughout the Towns and Villages with extensive areas of countryside beyond.  The Plan sought to protect and enhance all of these assets that made the Borough a sustainable and high quality place in which to live, work, visit and invest.

The Mayor highlighted that the Plan had been under preparation for some time, with several rounds of full public consultation carried out to make sure it met all of the Council’s ambitions and aspirations.  Over 1,200 local people and businesses provided feedback during the last consultation process alone in Autumn 2018.

The Mayor confirmed that she had listened to concerns raised by Members during this process, and had ensured that changes had been made to address these important issues.  As the health and well-being of residents was important, she had requested that during the consultation with Members, the Plan sought to create high quality places that supported and promoted healthy and safe communities, with the needs of pedestrians and cyclists being supported and prioritised in new developments.  Currently, streets principally serving residential areas were designed to achieve traffic speeds of no more than 20mph.  However, the Mayor reported that she had asked that this was explicitly included in Policy in the Plan to make it a clear commitment.  The Mayor added that she had also asked for adequate footpaths on all new residential developments.

The Mayor stressed that she was fully aware of Members’ justifiable concerns about the issues being caused by some Houses in Multiple Occupations.  Accordingly, she had instructed Officers to revisit this matter and a revised and strengthened Policy had been tabled at the meeting.  In addition to this, although not directly a Local Plan matter, the Mayor had asked that there was an immediate review of enforcement action to tackle the problem of ‘To Let’ boards and banners, which were blighting areas of the Borough.

In addition to the Local Plan, the Mayor stated that she also wanted to create a framework of driving the Borough planning from the bottom up through resourcing the support and encouragement of Neighbourhood Plans across Doncaster.  The Mayor had therefore included this commitment in its Local Plan. Consideration had been given to the content of Neighbourhood Plans, either adopted or being developed already through drafting of the Local Plan. 

The Mayor emphasised that Neighbourhood Plans were important documents used to guide development in communities, and she hoped that more areas would take the opportunity to prepare their own Neighbourhood Plans in the future.

To conclude, the Mayor stated that the Plan really shaped Doncaster’s future and hoped that Members would support the recommendations to enable the Local Plan to move forward to Publication.

Following the conclusion of the Mayor’s introduction and before affording Members the opportunity to speak on the item, the Chair of Council, Councillor Linda Curran, invited those Members who had raised objections to the individual site allocations, to address the Chamber to present their objections to the Plan, which were tabled at the meeting and detailed in the Schedule as follows:-

The Mayor confirmed that all objections to specific site allocations had been noted and would go forward as part of the planning process as it goes through to inspection. She pointed out that enforcement did not form part of the Local Plan, however, she had requested the Chief Executive to ensure that adequate enforcement measureswere in place.

Members broadly gave their support to the Plan, which they felt was an aspirational document that shaped the vision for the Borough in the future.  Members recognised that the policies in the Plan would not only ensure that the housing and economic growth needs of the Borough were sustained, but would also help to protect the environment, and would also further improve the quality of life and health and wellbeing of its communities.  In recognising that the Plan was an evolving document, Members welcomed that the Plan would be reviewed annually and would take account ofeconomic and environmental changes, in particular in relation to the effects of climate change.  Members commended Officers who had contributed in the development of the Plan and acknowledged the work involved.

RESOLVED that

(1)      the Doncaster Proposed Submission Local Plan be approved, subject to the inclusion of a number of revisions made to the policies in the Local Plan document, as detailed in the Addendum, to seek representations as to soundness and legal compliance over a minimum statutory 6 week period, and submission to the Secretary of State for examination subject to no significant issues arising from the minimum statutory 6 week stage;

(2)      the Assistant Director of Development, in consultation with the Local Plan lead Portfolio Holder be authorised to make any necessary minor editorial amendments to the Local Plan Proposed Submission Plan and accompanying Policies Map, the sustainability appraisal and any other relevant documents prior to Publication and Submission, subject to these not involving the addition or deletion of any site and not otherwise changing the plan’s direction or overall strategy where it is able to do so;

(3)      the Assistant Director of Development, in consultation with the Local Plan lead Portfolio Holder be authorised to request that the Local Plan Inspector recommend any main modifications to the Submission version of the Local Plan to ensure soundness in order for the plan to be legally compliant; and

(4)      following (1) to (3) above, authority be given that public consultation be undertaken on any main modifications to the Submission version of the Local Plan recommended by the Inspector, including the consequential changes in order that the Local Plan can be finalised in advance of it being submitted to Full Council for adoption.