8. Implementation

This chapter contains the detail on how the Core Strategy will be measured and the key infrastructure that is required for its implementation. It also sets out how the policies provide flexibility, and what remedial action may be appropriate if targets are not met.

Core Strategy policies will be implemented primarily through the determination of planning applications, based on the Core Strategy and other Local Development Framework documents (including the Proposals Map) and having regard to other council and partner plans and strategies. However, the Core Strategy also provides a framework for making wider decisions, such as where to target investment in new infrastructure and to inform the development of softer measures, such as promoting skills, which will be key to improving the borough's economy. Some of the key strategies and partners are highlighted in Table 7, although Policy CS5 also provides more detail especially on the soft interventions required to support job creation in different sectors. Where appropriate, we will support local communities in the production of neighbourhood plans, in line with national guidance, to add detail as to how the strategic priorities set out in the Core Strategy will be implemented at a local level and take advantage of opportunities for economic growth, improvements to quality of life and environmental enhancement. The council also acknowledges the benefits of Community Infrastructure Levy and will consider its appropriateness for the securing of funding for particular projects.

It is a legal requirement for the Local Development Framework to contain policies which mitigate the impacts of climate change, and contribute to reducing the level of future climate change. Because these are cross cutting issues, the Core Strategy does not contain a single climate change policy. Instead, the issue of climate change is highlighted in Objective 10 and reflected in a number of the policies. The need to travel, can generate significant emissions. Therefore, the Growth and Regeneration Strategy (set out in Policy CS2), seeks to ensure that new development is located within existing settlements and is accessible by sustainable transport, wherever possible. However, it is accepted that the realistic opportunities to deliver our aspirations will mean that development in other areas (including the M18 corridor and airport business park) will be required. Policy CS9 (Providing Travel Choice) sets out an approach to improving access to transport options, including more sustainable forms of transport. Policies on design, renewable energy generation and air quality (policies CS14, CS18 and CS19) will contribute to addressing the level of emissions from other sources (including energy production) and promote low-emission strategies. Policies on flooding, design, the natural environment, green infrastructure and agricultural land (Policies CS4, CS14, CS16, CS17 and CS18) will ensure that development contributes to mitigating, and adapting to, the impacts of climate change.

It is important to note that while the Core Strategy policies provide a broad framework for what development will be supported in principle, they do not provide overriding backing to plans or projects that are shown to have an adverse impact on the integrity of a European Site. All developments which could either individually or in-combination adversely impact European Sites, such as Thorne and Hatfield Moors, Lower Derwent Valley or Humber Estuary, will need to comply with the requirements of the Habitat Regulations.

The effectiveness of the Local Development Framework Policies (including those in the Core Strategy) will be monitored, based on relevant indicators. The indicators used will be reviewed as required, to take account of any changes to local or national data gathering and reporting requirements. Table 7 sets out which Core Strategy Objective will be delivered by which policy, how it will be monitored and also some of the key bodies who will contribute towards its delivery.

Table 7: Monitoring and Delivery

Table 8: Infrastructure Delivery Schedule

National policy highlights the need for infrastructure delivery planning, particularly to support housing growth, and states that the Core Strategy is the means for orchestrating the necessary social, physical and green infrastructure required to ensure that sustainable communities are created. This is set out in Table 8. The infrastructure schedule is a summary of what infrastructure is required for key major developments to proceed; it also identifies any major funding gaps, potential 'showstoppers' or phasing issues. The schedule represents the council's current understanding on infrastructure issues but, due to the nature of the topic, information within this table is subject to change.

It will be important to consider the capacity and condition of the borough's infrastructure, to ensure that best use is made of existing capacity and that significant growth and change is aligned to the latest position in terms of the delivery of any relevant new infrastructure. This will include considering funding options, and any developer contributions (which may include retrospective contributions to enabling infrastructure).

The Core Strategy policies are intended to strike the right balance between clearly setting out how Doncaster should move forward, our aspirations and priorities, whilst also providing flexibility to deal with unforeseen events, given the length of time being planned for (2011-2028). This means setting out the broad thrust of policy in a locally relevant way, often including targets and/or thresholds, while providing a basis for finer detail to be defined through subsequent documents (including the Proposals Map and Supplementary Planning Documents) and/or negotiation on individual planning applications. Detail is set out below on some of the ways in which the policies provide flexibility. In some cases, where appropriate, policy allows for viability assessment for specific sites. For example, in relation to affordable housing, if there were appropriate evidence of challenging site constraints the policy allows for sites to provide a lower proportion where robust viability assessment supports this. The option of commuted sums is not ruled out. However, as set out in the introduction, the plan should be read as a whole and the delivery of social and environmental objectives is just as important as the delivery of economic. Therefore, when exploring opportunities for flexibility it is important to still consider how any proposal can make a positive contribution against each relevant policy.

The overall approach to improving quality of life (Policy CS1) allows for proposals to be assessed against the plan objectives, and some key broad principles, as well as the detailed policies within the plan. This means that where a proposal is not specifically addressed by the detailed policies within the plan, the objectives and broad principles provide a framework for its assessment.

The Growth and Regeneration Strategy (Policy CS2) gives the broad thrust of the strategy and clearly identifies priorities for growth, but without being overly prescriptive. The policy provides for a range of housing growth at each level of the settlement hierarchy. In broad terms these ranges take account of the Settlement Study, which sets out which settlement would, and would not, benefit from growth and also broad environmental issues, notably flooding and the countryside. However, it also allows flexibility for the precise allocation of houses to each level of the settlement hierarchy, and also to each settlement within each level of the hierarchy (e.g. not every Principal Town will have the same number of houses). This allows the process of developing the Proposals Map to take account of the up-to-date information in relation to infrastructure provision, and more detailed consideration of environmental issues within each settlement.

Protection of the countryside and dealing with flood risk are two key environmental issues for Doncaster. The approach to the countryside (Policy CS3) sets out a robust approach to its protection, setting out what development would be appropriate, and the circumstances in which other forms of development may be supported. The approach to flooding (Policy CS4) outlines the package of measures that are required to effectively deal with existing flood risk, minimise future flood risk, whilst not allowing flooding to prevent borough wide economic prosperity, regeneration and improvements to quality of life. Within this we will endeavour to provide leadership in the provision of effective multi-agency emergency planning including the maintenance and implementation of the multi agency flood action plan; and; empower individuals and communities to help protect their own families, homes and businesses through the provision of information and advice, and through promoting schemes such as Flood Wardens.

The approach to the provision of employment land (Policy CS5) is based around identifying how many potential jobs could be created in each sector and what the broad land supply requirements will be. The exact locations of sites will be determined on the Proposals Map to take account of the up-to-date information in relation to infrastructure provision, and more detailed consideration of environmental issues within each area. The circumstances in which employment land would be released for other uses, is also set out within the policy. The policies relating to the airport, retail and town centres and transport (Policies CS6-9) contain broad principles and key locations to provide clarity and certainty of the strategic approach, whilst allowing for further detail to be provided in subsequent documents (either developed alongside the Proposals Map and/or as a Supplementary Planning Document) and individual proposals/planning applications, having regard to changing circumstances including the level of success in infrastructure provision.

The approach to housing land supply and phasing, set out in Policy CS10, indicates that sufficient land will be allocated to meet the housing requirement for at least a 15-year time period. This means that any windfall sites will form additional supply, providing added flexibility. Furthermore, the evidence in Doncaster's Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment shows a plentiful supply of developable housing land in Doncaster. There will therefore be considerable scope to meet housing requirements even if some sites fail to be delivered.

The approach to issues such as housing renewal, mix and affordable housing (Policies CS11 and CS12) link to the key pieces of evidence base, including needs assessments, and identify broad principles without being overly prescriptive. This will allow any updates to these studies, during the life of the plan, to inform its implementation – either through subsequent documents (either developed alongside the Proposals Map and/or as a Supplementary Planning Document) or the determination of individual planning applications. Current renewal priorities and likely future ones are identified but the policies do not restrict the identification of new priorities in response to changing needs and opportunities (e.g. new Government initiatives).

The approach to brownfield land (Policy CS11) is not to set a brownfield target but rather set out a strategy for maximising brownfield development through a number of identified measures. New brownfield opportunities (i.e. not currently identified) can be brought forward as allocations on the Proposals Map, or as windfall sites. Development of a local target in subsequent documents (either developed alongside the Proposals Map and/or as a Supplementary Planning Document) will be informed by the evidence base and site selection process.

The approach to Gypsy and Traveller sites (Policy CS13) provides the broad principles which will be applied in the allocation of sites and/or the determination of planning applications. It allows for extensions to existing sites within the Countryside Protection Policy Area where there is no established need, if this is to accommodate family members. It also allows for potentially authorising currently unauthorised sites where these are well run. These aspects of the approach therefore provide flexibility.

The approach to design and sustainable construction (Policy CS14) is based on BREEAM, Building for Life and Code for Sustainable Homes, which use flexible credit systems to enable developers to meet the required standard whilst responding to site-specific opportunities and constraints. Percentage renewable requirements are based upon energy demand, and allow for the use of measures to reduce energy demand where on-site generation is not practicable or viable.

The approach to protecting and enhancing the environment, providing green infrastructure and efficient use of air, water and agricultural land (Policies CS15 - 18) set out broad principles and key locations to provide clarity and certainty of the strategic approach, whilst allowing for further detail to be considered in subsequent documents (either developed alongside the Proposals Map and/or as a Supplementary Planning Document), and individual proposals/planning applications, having regard to changing circumstances (including the latest technical guidance from statutory agencies).

The approach to Renewable Energy (Policy CS19) sets out how it is envisaged the target for energy generation can be met, and which technologies it is envisaged may be the most appropriate to do this. It does not, however, preclude other forms of Renewable Energy being brought forward, and provides clear criteria for all proposals to be assessed against.

The approach to minerals (Policy CS20) acknowledges that minerals can only be worked where they are found, and so flexibility is key to ensure that the actual detailed geology, and quality of minerals resources, of sites and areas can be taken into account within a wider framework that also gives a degree of certainty. It therefore sets out a flexible approach to meeting as much of the sub-regional apportionment for aggregates as is practicable, and appropriate given environmental and social constraints, and also sets out a broad framework for assessing proposals for industrial and energy minerals.

The Development Management process provides many opportunities for remedial action. This includes internal liaison within the council, particularly to ensure that best use is made of the local knowledge of the Neighbourhood Management teams. Supplementary Planning Documents could also be developed for a range of subjects, if more local detail is required to implement policies.

The delivery of several of the policies will not be achieved just through the determination of planning applications. In many cases 'soft' interventions are required, such as facilitating a Flood Warden group (Policy CS4), developing skills and marketing the borough to support the creation of, and access to, jobs (Policy CS5) or working with landowners and farmers to encourage changes to land management (Policy CS16). The policies in relation to the environment and green infrastructure (15-17) will also be partially implemented through other aspects of planning legislation, in particular the use of Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Proposals, and Tree Preservation Orders. The key interventions beyond the determination of planning applications are included within the 'other relevant strategies' listed in Table 7, and so reviewing either the content or implementation of these may also be a potential way of ensuring the Core Strategy Vision and Objectives are delivered.

For some policy areas if delivery falls below required standards a possible action would be to involve the council as a landowner - for example consider increasing the proportion of affordable homes on council owned land, consider Gypsy and Traveller accommodation on council owned land or remove constraints to council-owned brownfield sites coming forward.

In relation to land supply, the annual Residential and Employment Land Availability Surveys will inform the monitoring of the Local Development Framework, and give a snap-shot of the effectiveness of the policy. Where these show problems in terms of housing supply, site allocations could be moved up the phasing sequence if necessary to respond to shortfalls in allocations. In contrast, the employment policy is not based on a phased approach, and furthermore, the land targets include a churn factor. This means a slightly higher proportion of land is allocated than required, to allow for companies moving between sites as they grow or shrink, and the time lag involved in vacated sites becoming redeveloped. Regular Employment Land Reviews will assess how quickly sites are being developed and the level of demand. This provides an opportunity to understand the market conditions, changes to the wider regional/national economy and what softer measures may be appropriate to attract further investment.