18. Implementation, Monitoring and Review

The implementation of the policies and proposals of Doncaster's Unitary Development Plan will depend on the availability of sufficient private and public sector resources. The level of resources will be determined by both (i) prevailing economic conditions which have a major effect on the willingness of the private sector to invest and (ii) controls on public expenditure. Current central government policy is to constrain public sector capital and revenue spending, to encourage the public sector to work in partnership with the private sector and to create the right conditions for private sector investment.

In implementing the policies and proposals of this Plan, the Borough Council will be guided by its intention to promote and enable developments or improvements which accord with the general themes of the Plan outlined in Chapter 2. Throughout the rest of the Plan, the Borough Council has sought to make realistic proposals which are capable of being implemented during the plan period and will seek to make the best use of available resources. Some major proposals are however phased beyond the Plan period.

Most development is expected to come from private investment, ranging from individual householders wanting to improve their property through to major residential and commercial proposals promoted by developers. The Borough Council's role will involve the use of its own land, its statutory powers and its expenditure programmes. The Borough Council will also expect to be involved in promotional, enabling and partnership initiatives consistent with the themes of the Plan.

One of the most important ways in which the Borough Council will achieve the Plan's implementation will be through its powers to grant or refuse planning permission. The Planning and Compensation Act 1991 places prime importance on the provisions of development plans when the local planning authority is determining whether to approve applications, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The Borough Council will also have regard to advice from Central Government in the form of Circulars and Planning Policy Guidance Notes. Relevant and reasonable conditions will be attached to permissions, where necessary, regulating the form and use of the approved development.

The policies included in the Plan are intended to guide developers in the control of development. The Borough Council will supplement these policies by producing additional guidance on aspects of development such as design, layout and landscaping. (See Appendix 18.1) It will continue to prepare planning briefs for important potential development sites to promote their development and provide positive and more detailed guidance for their beneficial future use. Where appropriate, the Borough Council will also prepare non-statutory planning guidance for wider geographical areas, or on a topic basis, to explain and supplement the Plan, in order to further assist developers, landowners and others in understanding the Plan's policies and proposals and promote implementation of the Plan. Developers and landowners will continue to be encouraged to consult the Borough Council in preparing proposals for development, improvement or conservation, in line with the Plan.

At a local level, the Borough Council has various powers to designate areas for special treatment, such as Conservation Areas and Industrial and Commercial Improvement Areas. It can also make Tree Preservation Orders and has powers over listed buildings. These, covered by policies within the Unitary Development Plan, will continue to be used to improve the quality of the environment within the Borough.

As a land and property owner, the Borough Council can act as a significant initiator and promoter of development. The Borough Council regularly reviews the land and premises needed for local services and sells or leases property surplus to its needs. It also has compulsory purchase powers which can be used to bring about development opportunities. However, the Borough Council's role as landowner will be clearly differentiated from its role as the Local Planning Authority. The Unitary Development Plans's policies will apply to the Council in the same way as to all other landowners in the Borough.

The Borough Council will continue to commit direct capital investment and will also work in partnership with other public and private bodies to secure a long term sustained regeneration of the Borough. A focus for this activity is being provided by the Doncaster Regeneration Partnership, formed in the Autumn of 1992, which brings together key players in the regeneration process. The Unitary Development Plan has provided the land use basis for the development of the Regeneration Partnership's strategy. This identifies site action programmes:

• Action for Business
• Action for People
• Property
• Communications
• Environment
• Marketing

The Regeneration Priority Areas identified in Chapter 2 provide a geographical focus for this regeneration activity. With regard to Doncaster Town Centre, the Borough Council has commissioned the Civic Trust Regeneration Unit to prepare a vision and strategy for action. Doncaster Town Centre is the focus for much implementation activity and there is a strong commitment to activities designed to secure a prosperous, viable and attractive town centre. The diverse and even growing number of United Kingdom and European Grant-Aided Programmes use and contain policies, proposals and initiatives set out in the Unitary Development Plan.

Doncaster Council has been successful in attracting significant, substantial mainstream grants to the Borough. The Unitary Development Plan has (and will continue to) provide an essential part of the context and justification for these programme related bids and projects. The specific local authority bidding documents included the Annual Housing Strategy (Housing Investment Programme) and Transport Policies and Programme use the Unitary Development Plan

The Unitary Development Plan will, in addition, help the water, gas, electricity and telecommunication companies plan their investment programmes. It also reflects the Borough Council's own development proposals for the services it provides through its various Directorates. The Borough Council will continue to maximise the use of European Community and UK Government funding for its direct investment in economic, environmental and social initiatives. It is possible also for the private sector to contribute towards meeting local needs through their development proposals.

The Borough Council will continue to inform and consult with Parish and Town Councils, the general public and interested parties in respect of significant proposals and policy matters allied to the Plan, for example through consultations and advice in respect of planning applications, planning briefs, and supplementary planning guidance.

New developments create demands for increased and enhanced recreation and community provision and put pressure on existing facilities. They can also result in the loss of amenity and facilities to the local community, for example, through the removal of open space or countryside or through their impact on existing infrastructure. This is particularly true of residential developments and large scale non-residential developments, for example minerals and waste disposal developments.

A number of UDP Policies and Proposals make reference to various elements which need to be included as a matter of course in all developments (where appropriate) in order to make the development acceptable in itself (open space, landscaping, archaeological surveys etc). In respect of specific development proposals, it may also be necessary to secure other reasonable provision of infrastructure or community facilities, directly related to the proposed development, where this is necessary from a planning point of view. In some cases it may be necessary, when examining the consequences of a proposed development, to consider its effects in combination with other related development proposals. It may not be possible to use planning conditions to resolve these matters satisfactorily, in which case the Council will seek to enter into a planning obligation with the developer, in order to secure the necessary infrastructure and /or community provision. The elements to be sought may be on or, occasionally, away from the site or, exceptionally, a commuted sum in respect of same, will be related in scale and kind to the proposed use and required for the proper planning of the area.

The context for seeking such provision through planning obligations is provided by DOE planning policy guidance, advice and legislation most notably the 1991 Planning and Compensation Act, DOE Circular 16/91 (Planning Obligations) and PPG17 (Sport and Recreation). Circular 1/97 provides guidance on the circumstances in which obligations can reasonably be sought. They have to be necessary to the granting of the permission, relevant to planning and relevant to the development to be permitted. They also have to meet the various tests of reasonableness set out in the circular, and to be fairly and reasonably related in scale and in kind to the proposed development. PPG17 places considerable emphasis on encouraging LPAs to seek planning obligations for sport and recreation as necessary community elements of development including contributions to off-site provision. The Sports Council has also produced guidance ("Planning Obligations for Sport and Recreation - a Guide for Negotiations and Action", 1993) in order "to promote a systematic approach to the use of planning obligations at Local Authority level which can be applied to assist in the provision of sports and recreational facilities." PPG3 (Housing) provides the context for seeking obligations in respect of affordable housing and other special housing needs.

In particular, attention is drawn to Policy ENV 42 where planning obligations may be entered into to offset the loss or impact on amenity or resource in the interest of Nature Conservation in accordance with advice in Circular 1/97.

Policies IMR1 and IMR2 provide the policy context underpinning the Borough Council's approach in seeking to secure developer contributions through planning obligations, in line with central government advice as set out in DOE circular 1/97 and planning policy guidance. Other policies of the Plan, located in the various topic chapters, provide more detailed guidance in respect of contributions which the Borough Council will seek relating to specific sites (eg major housing sites) or land uses (eg social and affordable housing).

This Plan is intended to provide a firm and clear policy statement guiding the use of land and development proposals in Doncaster to 2001 and beyond. During that time, it is likely that many circumstances which have a bearing on development within the Borough will change, for example changes in the economy, the introduction of new laws or central government advice, and unforeseen development opportunities. It is important, therefore, that the Borough Council regularly undertakes monitoring to assess the effectiveness of the Plan's policies over time and in changing circumstances. This will help to keep the Plan up to date and as relevant as possible. The need to develop an effective ongoing process of monitoring and review is therefore emphasised in sections 11 and 30 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, in PPG12 and the Development Plans Good Practice Guide, published by the Department of the Environment in 1992.

It is therefore intended to produce an annual report on the monitoring of the Unitary Development Plan. This will analyse the way in which proposals are being implemented, policies are being effected and what external changes are taking place. Certain key matters Local Planning Authorities are required to keep under review. These include:

• the principal physical and economic characteristics of the Borough;
• the size, composition and distribution of the population of the Borough;
• the communications, transport system and traffic of the Borough.

However, there are other important matters which must also be kept under review, including the effects on local policy of new or revised European / national / regional policy; development trends, in terms of changes in geographic pressure for development, land availability for different uses, etc; and economic and market indicators to ensure that the UDP is responsive to changes in micro and macro economies and markets - unemployment, consumer spending, land and property values and so on. Much of this work is already taking place; for example, regular surveys are undertaken on the availability of land for housing and employment. An analysis of the results from the 1991 Census of Population has aided understanding of demographic, social and economic changes taking place within the Borough. The contents of the annual monitoring report will enable a decision to be made on whether the Plan requires reviewing, and if so which parts of it.

An important element of monitoring will be environmental appraisal. In preparing the UDP, the policies and proposals of the Deposit Plan were tested against an environmental scoping excercise. In line with Central Government policy advice, as set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 12, this work is being continued and expanded into a process of environmental appraisal, which will ensure that the environmental costs and benefits of the Plan's proposals are properly assessed and monitored. The process will contribute to both monitoring and review of the UDP.

The wider context for such a review will in future be provided by Regional Planning Guidance. The Borough Council has contributed, and will contrive to contribute to the preparation of such Guidance in future, thereby ensuring that Doncaster continues to play a major role in the regeneration of Yorkshire and Humberside.

A formal review of the Plan may be necessary where major changes, or the cumulative effect of several smaller changes mean that the policies and proposals require alteration. This could take several forms; it could be a relatively minor change reflecting different circumstances affecting a limited number of policies; it could be a comprehensive look at a particular geographical area of the Borough where major development is taking place; or it could be a comprehensive review of the whole Plan.

A change in the policies of the Plan would require further statutory public consultation. The Plan has been designed to be flexible, robust and relevant, even in times of change. It is unlikely that changing circumstances would necessitate a review of the Plan in less than two years from adoption.