4. Economy and Employment

A healthy economy is vital to the future well being of Doncaster and its citizens. Yet despite recent changes and developments, there is a continuing need to diversify the economy and also to secure growth in the manufacturing and service sectors. Additional employment opportunities are required to counter the present unacceptably high levels of unemployment, to provide for the anticipated growth in the workforce to 2001 and beyond and to replace those jobs which will be lost as the traditional employers, especially the coal industry, continue to rationalise and shed labour.

The process of restructuring and developing the local economy has commenced and significant progress has been achieved in recent years. A wider range of manufacturing industries have become established and Doncaster now supports a modest but rapidly expanding service sector, with growth in office-based activities, warehousing and distribution. Through its Economic Development Strategy the Council is undertaking a growing range of initiatives including provision of industrial land, premises and infrastructure; financial support to business; industrial and tourism promotion; vocational training; and Industrial and Commercial Improvement Area Programmes.

The preparation of this Unitary Development Plan has coincided with measures being taken to create a Single European Market by 1992, as well as other developments by the European Commission related to institutional reform and Community enlargement. These will impact on Doncaster, although the nature and extent of this impact will depend on a number of factors. Of particular importance are communication networks, and in this respect Doncaster is well placed to take advantage of links to both the Channel Tunnel (via the East Coast Main Line) and the Humber Ports and Wharves for freight and passenger travel to Europe. The local authority is committed to maximising the benefits to Doncaster of the creation of the Single European Market and to taking advantage of the financial programmes available to assist development within the Borough.

Chapter 2 sets out the Borough Council's planning objectives and development priorities. Economic Regeneration is identified as one of the three major themes. The main contribution of the UDP towards this objective lies in identifying and safeguarding a supply of land for industrial and commercial development and in promoting the servicing and development of this land. The employment policies also support the objectives of Environmental Improvement by promoting environmental improvements within existing industrial and commercial areas and through policies aimed at securing a good standard of new industrial and commercial development. Implementation of the employment proposals should also contribute to the third key objective, a Reduction in Social Inequalities principally through the creation of new employment opportunities, especially within the Regeneration Priority Areas.

The economic structure of Doncaster has traditionally been dominated by a few major employers in manufacturing and coal mining. Up to and including the 1960's and 1970's these industries remained relatively buoyant and unemployment in the area was generally low. Since the mid- 1970's, however, and particularly in the 1980's there have been major job losses in both manufacturing and coal mining and six collieries have closed, (Armthorpe, Cadeby, Edlington, Brodsworth, Askern, Bentley). The remaining collieries at Stainforth and Rossington, face uncertain futures, and the threat of further colliery closures, and of job losses in associated activities, remains.

As a result of the job losses referred to in para. 4.5, unemployment remained high throughout most of the 1980's and early 1990's. Lack of local employment opportunities also resulted in a high level of outmigration within the economically important 22-44 age group. The influx of new business investment into Doncaster in the late 1980's, encouraged by the Borough Council, has contributed to a significant reduction in unemployment locally but, even so, the unemployment rate in the Doncaster Travel to Work Area remains well above both the national and regional averages.

If Doncaster is to achieve an effective and lasting regeneration of the local economy it will be necessary to build upon the achievements of recent years, referred to in paras. 4.2 and 4.6 above, widen the economic base and create very many more jobs to replace those still being lost in its traditional long established industries. Provision of an ample range and number of new employment opportunities will be fundamental to the retention and attraction of key workers and age groups critical to the future overall prosperity of the Borough. It is projected that over 20,000 additional jobs will be required by 2001 to cater for the anticipated growth in the workforce and to reduce unemployment (See Appendix 4.1). The Borough Council, through this Plan and through its Economic Development Strategy, will play a key role in this process. At the same time, the Council is determined to give whatever support it can to the existing economy, through the same mechanisms, to help maintain employment and prevent unnecessary job losses.

One of the principal ways in which the UDP can contribute towards the economic regeneration of Doncaster is through the identification of land for industrial and business development. The objective is to provide an adequate range of sites in terms of size, variety, location and quality to meet the needs of different types of business operation. Land is required to provide both for the needs of existing and expanding local firms and to cater for businesses and developers who may wish to locate within the Borough or might be attracted to the Borough if suitable sites are made available. In attracting inward investment, the Council recognises that Doncaster is frequently competing with other parts of the UK and the UDP must provide a wide range of development opportunities in terms of size, location and quality. In particular, a sufficient number of high quality sites must be identified in the Plan. In seeking to identify suitable sites for economic regeneration the Borough Council have taken into account the need to protect the environment of Doncaster Borough and balance this with this need to provide sufficient land for employment purposes.

Doncaster's success in attracting new industrial and commercial development in the town over the last 7 years has made heavy inroads into the available land supply. As a result there is very little land for immediate development. Of the land that is immediately available, not all is well related to the main urban area where demand is greatest and, in particular, there are no large sites capable of accommodating a major inward investment currently available. If the momentum of industrial and commercial development is to be maintained, then additional sites have to be brought forward in the UDP. The Council's assessment that there is a serious shortage of readily available industrial land is confirmed by recent private sector and academic research and by the recent decision of the Secretary of State to release a large (73 ha) site at Armthorpe for business development (Proposal EMP 1 (1)).

Statistical assessments of future industrial land requirements based upon past rates of take-up and through the application of employment densities to the job need targets have been undertaken for the UDP (See Appendix 4.1) but are not sufficiently reliable to be used other than as a preliminary guide to industrial land needs. Other factors have to be taken into account, including:

• on the basis of known development proposals, it is anticipated that the take-up of employment land will be accelerated;
• major improvements in communications, including the recent electrification of the East Coast Main Railway Line; the proposed opening of the Channel Tunnel; the proposed upgrading of the A1 to motorway; development of the Humber Ports and Humberside airport should benefit Doncaster economically;
• Doncaster should benefit from the growing trend for companies to relocate from the more expensive, congested south-east of England to the lower cost, less congested north of England;
• the impact of the Doncaster Railport is likely to stimulate increases in industrial growth in Doncaster;
• the Borough Council-led regeneration strategy is gradually increasing the momentum of industrial and commercial development within the Borough;
• the potential of much of the existing employment land supply is limited for reasons of (e.g.) poor accessibility, poor environment or lack of infrastructure services.

The context for the Borough Council's employment strategy for the period 2001 and beyond is set by Regional Planning Guidance in the form of RPG12. RPG12 requires that an adequate supply of land is available to meet the needs of industry and commerce, whilst having regard for environmental objectives. The Borough Council, for its part, is determined to ensure that land supply does not act as a constraint upon job creation. For the reasons outlined above, and taking into account the anticipated level of development, the Borough Council consider that at least 100 acres (40 ha) of employment land per year should be made available within the Borough as a whole if Doncaster's needs and the Council's aspirations for economic regeneration are to be met. Additionally it is intended that a minimum of 5 years land supply be available at any time. The Plan therefore seeks to provide for at least the period up to 2006 and provides a total employment land supply of 722 HA identified in policies EMP1, EMP2 and EMP11.

Replaced by Core Strategy Policy CS2 - Growth and Regeneration Strategy. To view this policy please click here.

Doncaster is excellently located in relation to strategic transportation networks, particularly the M18 and A1(M) motorways (linking to M1, M62 and M180), together with the East Coast Main Railway Line and it is these transport links that provide the best opportunities for economic regeneration. A key economic policy of the UDP is therefore to capitalise on the opportunities created by these transport links by providing extensive, quality employment sites at or close to motorway junctions. Particularly suitable for larger scale industry and warehousing, they will nevertheless be sufficiently large to accommodate other employment uses, including smaller scale industry, B1 business uses and hotels. Because of the visual prominence of sites adjacent to the major highway network, it will be essential to ensure that only high quality development is permitted adjacent to the highway.

Saved UDP policy which is not replaced by the Core Strategy or Joint Waste Plan.

All of these sites have excellent direct or virtually direct access to the motorway network and this has been a key criterion in site selection. The identification of the five strategic sites has also been influenced by the need to provide an adequate choice of high quality sites and a reasonable geographical spread of these sites. Environmental, infrastructure and marketing considerations have also been taken into account. All of the sites are considered to be well related to the existing and/or proposed urban structure. Their size has been determined by the need to provide extensive sites catering for a wide range of industrial and commercial uses and in particular they have to be capable of accommodating companies and developers seeking large sites close to motorway communications.

The combined area of these five sites is considerable (337 ha) and it is unlikely that all of this land will be developed within the timescale of the Plan i.e. by 2001. Indeed, it is intended that they will provide a reservoir of employment land for longer than the Plan period. The UDP seeks to provide sufficient employment land for a 15 year timescale minimum. It follows that development of the larger sites will need to be phased, in accordance with a scheme to be agreed with each developer. The Borough Council will also, where appropriate, prepare development briefs for these sites.

The sites referred to under Policy EMP1 above will cater for some but by no means all of the Borough's future employment needs. A wide range of smaller sites will also be required and these are identified under Policy EMP2.

Saved UDP policy which is not replaced by the Core Strategy or Joint Waste Plan.

A detailed survey of industrial land availability was undertaken in July 1990. All of the outstanding permissions and allocations identified in that survey have been reviewed. Certain of the previously allocated sites, which have never been developed, are, for various reasons, no longer considered appropriate for inclusion as employment sites. However, the majority of outstanding permissions and allocations have been confirmed as suitable for inclusion as Employment Sites within the Plan. The schedules also indicate the uses which will normally be permitted and the area of land available for development.

The choice of sites for inclusion in the UDP has been influenced by the extent and location of existing sites, by the need to provide an adequate geographical spread of employment opportunities and by the locational requirements of specific uses. Particular consideration has been given to the need to provide:

• small/medium-sized general industrial sites within the Regeneration Priority Areas;
• a limited number of small, environmentally attractive "green field"/edge of town sites to be reserved for high quality office/business/"hi-tech" uses.

In identifying the new sites and significant extensions to existing sites, other criteria have also been considered, particularly effects on amenity, proximity to public transport routes, effect on the environment and highway considerations.

In specifying the particular business and industrial uses which would be acceptable on each site, the objective is to ensure firstly that all business sectors are appropriately provided for and, secondly, that the proposed use is compatible with neighbouring developments.

Where appropriate the Borough Council will prepare detailed planning briefs for sites covered by Policy EMP2

Saved UDP policy which is not replaced by the Core Strategy or Joint Waste Plan.

The provision of land within the UDP for employment purposes is likely to be more than adequate to meet anticipated future needs. However, in order to provide additional flexibility for the future in the event that demand proved to be higher than expected, or for example, if a need was identified for an extensive site for a single large operator that could not be accommodated on existing allocated sites in the borough, then the land previously earmarked for Phases 3 and 4 of Carcroft Industrial Estate and north of Cassons Road could be released for this purpose.

At Carcroft Common there are significant constraints particularly access and drainage and these would almost certainly preclude development of the site until the latter part of the UDP period. Development of this extensive area would be likely to necessitate the provision of a direct access link from the estate to the A1(M).

At Thorne there is sufficient industrial land at Junction 6 of the M18, however in order to meet a borough-wide need for a large single user and to encourage use of railways for freight movement the land north of Cassons Road may be brought forward for employment use. The site has access to the M18 and is immediately adjacent the Doncaster - Hull railway line. The site would only be brought forward for a single large operator who would be reliant on the use of the adjacent railway possibly in conjunction with the adjacent vehicle distribution centre.

The Town Centre is already a major employment location within the Borough and is particularly important for service employment. The UDP seeks to maintain and enhance this role through appropriate policies and the identification of sites suitable for office and other service uses. These are set out in Chapter 15 - Doncaster Town Centre.

The results of the Public Attitude Survey indicated clearly the importance attached by Doncaster's residents to promoting employment. The Borough Council also attaches the highest priority to promoting employment and will use the various powers available to it to ensure that the various sites proposed and allocated for employment purposes in the UDP are designed, serviced and developed to a good standard. To achieve this the Borough Council will prepare planning briefs for Employment Sites in consultation with interested parties including landowners.

The purpose of this policy is to define the types of uses which will normally be permitted within the existing employment areas, with the objective of ensuring that proposed uses are appropriate to their location. With regard to proposals for other types of employment use, attention is particularly drawn to Policies EMP 10-14.

Certain of the Borough Council's existing industrial and commercial areas suffer from a combination of problems, such as inadequate access or highway infrastructure, lack of services, poor environment or untidy, poor quality premises. Many of them are located within the Regeneration Priority Areas. An important way in which the Council can assist the well being of existing industry and commerce and promote the more efficient and effective use and development of these areas is by carrying out and encouraging improvements to the industrial and commercial environment and infrastructure.

Saved UDP policy which is not replaced by the Core Strategy or Joint Waste Plan.

The areas selected are those considered to be most in need of remedial treatment, taking into account the condition of their infrastructure, land and premises and the scope that exists for improvement. Many are located within the Regeneration Priority Areas and these will warrant the most urgent attention.

The Borough Council, through its Economic Strategy, is already undertaking and promoting a range of initiatives within many of these areas including provision of serviced land and small unit premises; conversion and improvement of redundant and under utilised floorspace; providing beneficial treatment to areas of derelict, degraded and despoiled land and buildings; and landscaping works. The Borough Council is seeking to develop these initiatives with its partners and the Doncaster Regeneration Partnership. Grant aid and programme mechanisms include the new Single Regeneration Budget, English Partnerships, European Programmes, as well as the Borough Council's capital programme.

Additionally, through its planning powers, the Borough Council will, where appropriate, seek to promote improved layout and land use arrangements when proposals are submitted for development within the Priority Employment Policy Areas.

Although under represented in the past, Doncaster now supports a rapidly expanding service sector. There has been a general growth in office-based activities. If Doncaster is to avoid the economic problems of its recent past, it will be necessary to build upon this momentum, attract and create more service employment and create a more diversified economy. A positive policy of encouraging B1 uses is therefore adopted. The preferred locations for business development are the sites specifically proposed or allocated for B1 use and Doncaster Town Centre.

However, B1 uses can, in appropriate circumstances, be accommodated in other built-up locations, for example the smaller town centres and adjacent to main roads. They are frequently a suitable use for redundant sites and buildings within the built-up areas. PPG4 specifically advises that many businesses can be carried out in residential areas dependent on the scale, site use and location of the proposal. Policy EMP 8 therefore provides a range of locational options for these uses.

The demand for this type of office space is mainly in Doncaster Town Centre and the other town centres within Doncaster Borough and has been met principally through changes of use. This is a fast growing sector of the economy and the demand for additional floorspace is likely to continue. Detailed proposals for Doncaster Town Centre are set out in Chapter 15. In other town centres, the demand should be met by further changes of use and refurbishment of existing property coupled with selective redevelopment.

The Borough Council is anxious to promote a high standard of appearance to all main road frontage to areas proposed or allocated in the UDP for employment use. It is also important to protect the visual amenities of residential areas which adjoin industrial and commercial areas. For these reasons, it is essential that extensive open storage areas are located well away from main road frontages, residential areas and other sensitive locations. Effective screening of storage areas must be secured and the Borough Council will use its development control powers to ensure that this is achieved in all cases.

Certain types of industrial and commercial operation such as scrap metal or timber yards, and extensive open storage uses commonly known as "bad neighbour" uses, cannot easily or satisfactorily be located on general employment sites and, in any event, the operators of such businesses frequently cannot afford to purchase or lease plots on these sites. In the past these uses have been directed to a selection of mostly small sites, such as Barton Lane, Armthorpe; Bankwood Lane, Rossington; and Little Lane, Wheatley. Often these sites are lacking in basic infrastructure services and are very untidy in appearance. There is a need for more suitable locations for these kinds of businesses, which require inexpensively priced sites with good access to the main highway network. The identification of suitable sites for "bad neighbours" uses is difficult as they have a detrimental impact on surrounding land uses. The demand for "bad neighbour" use sites will be kept under review should there be demand in excess of the 2.5 ha of land identified at Carcroft Common.

The Borough Council will strongly oppose proposals for certain heavy or "special" industries, such as heavy chemical works or toxic waste processing plants, which involve hazardous materials or processes likely to generate significant risk, or which are likely to generate pollution, on the grounds that no suitable locations exist for these types of development within Doncaster. All of the existing and proposed employment sites are located close to urban areas, never far from heavily populated residential areas and urban centres and it would be wholly inappropriate to site such hazardous or potentially polluting industrial plants in these locations. The Borough Council will encourage the use of clean technologies which minimises waste production. The Borough Council will take the advice of relevant authorities in assessing the level of pollution and public safety risks. The Council will take into account the precautionary principle and assess this against other material considerations

Policy EMP 13 clarifies the limited range of retail uses that will be permitted within the Employment Policy Areas. Certain categories of specialist retailing will be permitted, in accordance with Policy EMP 14. Otherwise retailing will be restricted to that which is minor in nature, either intended to service the needs of the Employment Policy Area workforce (such as a takeaway food shop) or ancillary to employment uses on site. As a guide it is considered that ancillary retailing uses should not represent more than 10% of the ground floor area of industrial/commercial premises.

Replaced by Core Strategy Policy CS5 - Employment Strategy. To view this policy please click here .

Certain categories of retail use, including those identified in Policy EMP 14, are not easily or appropriately located in Shopping Policy Areas or Retail Warehouse Policy Areas, because of their particular site requirements or specialist nature. Retail uses such as car showrooms are increasingly being located within areas traditionally reserved for industry, reflecting their need for extensive sites with good, direct access to the main road network, their associated workshop facilities, and so on. The Borough Council will not oppose the development of such specialist retail uses within many of the sites proposed or allocated for employment use, provided that these uses remain a relatively small component of the overall site development. In order to ensure that employment sites are retained and available for employment purposes and that specialist retail uses do not dominate employment policy areas it is considered that a guideline of no more than 25% of the Employment Site should be used for specialist retail use.

For the purpose of this policy, an Employment Site is defined as the area proposed for development in the UDP. An Employment Policy Area is taken as the widest extent of the employment allocation, as defined by other surrounding land uses. The policy relates to those uses which are predominantly retail in nature.

A large part of the Borough of Doncaster remains rural in character. Nationally, the last few years have seen considerable changes in the rural economy. Central Government Policy is no longer to support maximum agricultural output but rather to reduce it. Consequently, there is no longer the need to maintain the maximum possible extent of rural land in agricultural use. Factors such as falling prices for agricultural output and significantly increased levels of agricultural productivity have in recent years put great pressure on agricultural employment. Central Government are therefore anxious to foster diversification of the rural economy so as to open up wider and more varied employment opportunities (1).

(1) PPG7 The Countryside and the Rural Economy, DOE/ Welsh Office, January 1992

In Doncaster's countryside, agriculture remains by far the most dominant land use, reflecting the high quality of much of the farmland, particularly in the western half of the Borough. The Borough Council will promote diversification of the rural economy in ways that are sympathetic to the amenity and the environment of the countryside. This however includes continuing to support agriculture in addition to other employment generating uses appropriate to the countryside.

Within several of the larger rural settlements, such as Auckley and Bawtry, new sites or Employment Policy Areas have been identified capable of accommodating small scale industrial and commercial development. These are covered by Policies EMP 2 and EMP 6. Away from the identified sites, the Borough Council will consider sympathetically proposals for small scale industrial or commercial use within both larger and smaller rural settlements, provided they are acceptable in terms of their amenity, environmental and traffic impact. Such proposals will be considered in relation to the appropriate policies of the UDP.

New industrial and commercial development is generally inappropriate in the open countryside and proposals for such development will usually conflict with national policies for protecting the Green Belt and the countryside. Nevertheless, there are categories of development which can be acceptable and which can help to promote diversification of employment opportunities within the countryside. Tourism developments which are sympathetic to their environment, particularly those which are leisure-based, or based on an existing attraction, for example a country mansion or an extensive parkland, can be appropriate. Detailed policies relating to such developments are set out in Chapters 5 and 10. Further opportunities for encouraging industrial and commercial enterprise within the countryside are provided by some existing rural buildings. Central Government policy strongly supports the re-use or adaptation of such buildings for small businesses and policy ENV10 provides guidance where the conversion of existing buildings are permitted in the Countryside Policy Area and Green Belt. The Rural Development Commission supports the re-use of rural buildings for employment uses and makes grants and other assistance available in the Rural Development Agency.

Proposals for the extension or expansion of existing industrial enterprises are covered by Policy ENV11 in the Environment Chapter.

Whilst it is recognised that some types of industry can be accommodated near to or within residential areas, nevertheless some industrial uses can be a source of annoyance through noise, odours, unsightly yards and buildings which can seriously damage residential amenity. Such industry can have been established many years ago for historical reasons when expectations were different and now give rise to unsatisfactory conditions for both operator and surrounding residents in the community. It is also necessary to ensure that new facilities offering employment opportunities are able to be of benefit to all members of the community. Geographical location can help in making facilities available by reducing the need for travel but additional facilities can remove economic and mobility barriers to potential employees and users such as childcare facilities. By pursuing such objectives the benefits of additional employment provision will accrue to a wider sections of the community. This will go some way to achieving the objectives of GEN7 bringing about economic and environmental improvements to the whole community.

Replaced by Core Strategy Policy CS5 - Employment Strategy. To view this policy please click here.

The purpose of Policy EMP16 is to indicate various ways in which the Borough Council will seek to address the problems of disadvantaged groups in securing access to employment opportunities. The Borough Council is already facing up to these issues. It is working with other partners in the Doncaster Regeneration Partnership to develop an 'Action for People' programme. This will concentrate and supply measures to improve the operation of the labour market, counteract labour market disadvantage and raise living standards. The programme will be developed in close liaison with the Barnsley and Doncaster TEC. The Council's own contribution will be through the provision of quality vocational guidance and training; the development of out reach and satellite facilities in more isolated communities; the encouragement of community managed enterprises; and the development of a strategy and employment project for the Rural Development Area in the north of the Borough. Elements of this programme are likely to be included as part of the Partnership's Single Regeneration Budget bid. The European Community RECHAR 2 programme provides a further potential funding mechanism to support the Council's objectives in regenerating coalfield communities. In addition, the Borough Council will seek to take advantage of other European programmes through the European Social Fund and specific initiatives to assist in the provision of training including those people with disabilities. The Borough Council will work in partnership with the Rural Development Commission and other agencies towards sustaining rural communities and improving services and facilities in rural areas.

Where there is inadequate provision of industrial land within the Regeneration Priority Areas, the UDP has sought to allocate suitable sites, in locations with good existing or potential public transport access. Through various means open to the Borough Council, including the development control process, every effort will be made to secure childminding facilities and to ensure that adequate facilities to serve the disabled are incorporated within employment development schemes.

Within the areas proposed for employment use, a series of general controls over development will apply (Policy EMP17). These seek to achieve a good standard of new development and environmental improvement in the design, layout, access and landscaping of developments and ensure that developments are compatible and where appropriate improve the relationship with neighbouring uses, particularly adjoining residential areas. New industrial development sites can have features of nature interest which can be incorporated into the design and layout of the sites on larger development sites. In addition, opportunities can be created to provide for natural habitats. Policy ENV42 outlines elements that must be considered in assessing development proposals.