Agenda item

Councillor Joe Blackham, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transportation presented a report to Members that provided information on Doncaster’s Local Plan.

The report informed Council that the Local Plan sets out planning policies and new development sites for Doncaster to meet its development needs over the next 15 years. This would be based on a vision for growth and new investment coming to Doncaster.  This included the now opened FARRRS link road to a growing Doncaster Sheffield Airport, development at the Iport getting underway, the largest number of new homes being built since 2000, and the Unity project which once underway, would benefit the north west of the borough.  Councillor Blackham stated that the aim was to see further growth in the borough supporting the future of its young people with new skills, new homes and a great place to live in.

The report asked that the emerging Local Plan vision with its aims and objectives be noted, setting out a more positive future for Doncaster.  To achieve this, Doncaster would not only need to have the housing to support local needs, but also provide for a growing workforce that was located in places that would ensure residents could live in safe, attractive and sustainable locations.  The report set out a draft strategy for where the Council should locate new housing, and took account of over 600 responses received from the ‘Issues and Options’ consultation undertaken in summer 2015, as well as the sustainability appraisal and national polices. 

Councillor Blackham informed Members that the strategy importantly placed a priority on protecting the environment and supporting regeneration in Doncaster’s towns and accessible locations, but also provided the possibility of developing a greater range of deliverable sites. The strategy would form an important part of the Local Plan that Full Council was due to consider later in 2016, and  underpin the ongoing work assessing  housing sites that the Local Plan would designate for development.

Councillor Blackham asked Full Council to approve the draft strategy attached to the report in appendix A for consultation in addition to supporting the recommendations to publish the plan’s updated vision, aims and objectives . 

Councillor Blackham concluded by pointing out that Council needed to note an amendment to the recommendation. Consultation on the Strategy would be undertaken for a 6 week period rather than the 4 weeks stated in the report in order to enable stakeholders to respond due to part of the consultation period crossing over the Easter holiday period. Following his presentation, Councillor Blackham invited Jeremy Johnson, Local Plans Policy Manager, to address Council in terms of a minor amendment to the report that he wished to clarify. This was a minor error relating to the figures quoted on p321 of the agenda, and with regard to housing arising from economic growth, the number of 5489, should instead read as 5070.

Following consideration of the report, Members were afforded the opportunity to comment, and in response to concerns raised, Councillor Blackham advised Members to urge their constituents to comment in the consultation in order to ensure their voices were heard and any concerns addressed.

RESOLVED that:-

(1)          Council approve the draft housing distribution strategy document (appendix A) for a 6 week period of consultation; and

(2)          Council note the intention to publish the draft Vision, Aims and Objectives of the Local Plan (Appendix B to the report) and publish on the Local Plan website.