CSD12 Doncaster Local Plan: Statement of Compliance with the Duty to Cooperate March 2020 www.doncaster.gov.uk 0 0 Contents 1.0 Introduction …………………………………………………………….. 2 2.0 Consultation on the Doncaster Local Plan and Doncaster Statement of Common Ground……………………………………..4 3.0 Sheffield City Region Statement of Common Ground……….…6 4.0 Summary of the Relevant Strategic Matters……………………...9 5.0 Outcomes of the Duty to Cooperate……………………………….17 Appendix 1: Neighbouring Authorities and Prescribed bodies involved in the Duty to Cooperate…………………………………………………….24 Appendix 2: Collaborative Working with Duty to Cooperate Bodies…………25 Appendix 3: Sheffield City Region Statement of Common Ground………….40 1 1.0 Introduction 1. The Localism Act 20111 and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)2 place a duty on local planning authorities and prescribed bodies to cooperate with each other to address strategic issues relevant to their area during plan making. The duty requires continuous and active engagement during the preparation of the plan. 2. Local planning authorities should make every effort to secure the necessary cooperation on strategic cross boundary matters before submitting their Local Plans for examination. The Local Planning Authority must demonstrate how they have complied with the duty, if they cannot then the Local Plan will not be able to proceed further in the Examination. 3. Local authorities are asked to produce one or more Statements of Common Ground. These statements should set out the relevant strategic matters, priorities and cross boundary issues to be addressed and what potential impact the strategic matters may have. They should contain any resolution/mitigation and monitoring. The Statements also include signatories to the agreements including those which need to be progressed or are outstanding. 4. The Doncaster Local Plan: Statement of Common Ground3 is a separate document and has been submitted as part of the Doncaster Local Plan. It follows the Planning Advisory Service guidance4 and sets out: The duty to cooperate requirements; The parties involved in the Statement of Common Ground; The signatories who have signed up to the Statement of Common Ground; Doncaster's strategic geography; The relevant strategic matters; and The timetable for review and on-going cooperation. 5. The Doncaster Local Plan: Statement of Common Ground (SoCG) contains 19 Agreements which have been drawn up in conjunction with the relevant neighbouring authorities and prescribed bodies. These cover relevant strategic matters including: housing; gypsies, travellers and travelling show people; employment; transport infrastructure (road, rail and public transport); air quality and noise; retail and town centres; flood risk; green infrastructure; built and historic environment; waste management; community facilities; water quality; 1 Through the inclusion of Section 33A into the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-planning-policy-framework--2 3 www.doncaster.gov.uk/localplan 4 https://www.local.gov.uk/pas/pas-topics/local-plans/statement-common-ground 2 minerals. 6. These Agreements are in the process of being signed up to by the relevant neighbouring authorities and prescribed bodies. 7. This purpose of this paper 'Statement of Compliance with the Duty to Cooperate' is to demonstrate how the Council has complied with the duty to cooperate. It sets out: A summary of strategic matters/issues included in the Doncaster Local Plan Statement of Common Ground; How those matters have been resolved/not resolved; Who we have worked with and on which strategic matters; The nature and timing of the engagement; The outcomes of the cooperation including how the Local Plan/Doncaster SoCG was influenced; and, The relationship with the Sheffield City Region Statement of Common Ground. 8. Appendix 1 lists Doncaster’s neighbouring authorities and prescribed bodies that are involved in the duty to cooperate. 9. It is important to note that the Council has written a Regulation 22 Statement of Consultation5 which sets out how the Council has consulted all relevant bodies and the local community during the preparation of the Local Plan (i.e. not just those included in the duty to cooperate). The Regulation 22 Statement of Consultation also sets out in detail the issues that have been raised and how they have been considered in the preparation of the Local Plan. 5 www.doncaster.gov.uk/localplan 3 2.0 Consultation on the Doncaster Local Plan and Doncaster Statement of Common Ground Doncaster Local Plan 10. As part of the Local Plan preparation process (including the evidence base), all relevant duty to cooperate parties have been consulted at each stage. This is in line with the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning (England) Regulations 2012. These stages are not discussed in detail in this Statement of Compliance or in the Doncaster Duty to Cooperate Statement; instead they are listed and discussed in the Regulation 22 Statement of Consultation6. However for information, the Local Plan stages were: Call for Sites - October - December 2014 Issues and Options - September 2015 Homes and Settlements Strategy - March 2016 Ongoing stakeholder engagement and consultation - Spring 2015 - Spring 2018 Consultation on Draft Policies and Proposed Sites - September - October 2018 Publication - August - September 2019 Submission - February 2020 Key consultation on the Doncaster Statement of Common Ground 11. Throughout the preparation of the Doncaster Statement of Common Ground, neighbouring authorities and prescribed bodies were consulted at key times in order to gain an understanding of the relevant strategic issues, and to ask for comments and amendments to a Draft and then a Revised Draft Statement of Common Ground. The key dates for the consultation on the Doncaster Statement of Common Ground were: 24 September 2018 – email to prescribed bodies asking for comments which could be taken into account and reflected in the Doncaster Statement of Common Ground; 27 September 2018 – a draft of the Strategic and Cross Boundary Matters Table (now Appendix 2 in the Doncaster Statement of Common Ground) was sent to neighbouring authorities for comments. They were also asked formally whether their authority would be in a position to allocate land for housing in their Local Plan that would contribute to meeting some of Doncaster’s housing needs; 6 June 2019 – Email to neighbouring authorities and prescribed bodies with a Draft Doncaster Statement of Common Ground for comments/amendments; 14 August 2019 – Email to neighbouring authorities and prescribed bodies with a Revised Draft Doncaster Statement of Common Ground for comments/amendments. 6 www.doncaster.gov.uk/localplan 4 25th February 2020 – Email to neighbouring authorities and prescribed bodies with final version of the Doncaster Statement of Common Ground for signing. 12. Reminder emails were sent out if no correspondence had been received. 13. A number of engagement methods were used through Local Plan and the Doncaster Statement of Common Ground preparation including email correspondence and meetings. Appendix 2 of this Statement of Compliance with the Duty to Cooperate sets out the collaborative working that has taken place with duty to cooperate bodies including how and when Doncaster Council has consulted or engaged. 5 3.0 Sheffield City Region Statement of Common Ground 14. In addition to the Doncaster Local Plan: Statement of Common Ground, Doncaster Council is also a signatory to the Sheffield City Region Statement of Common Ground (SCR SoCG). Paragraph 1.1 of the SCR SoCG states that the document “is a record of agreement on cross boundary, strategic matters between the nine local authorities and other key stakeholders in the Sheffield City Region. It has been produced by the signatory authorities to demonstrate how Local Plans are prepared on the basis of an agreed understanding of the issues facing the City Region.” 15. The local authorities engaged in the SCR Statement are: Bassetlaw DC Barnsley MBC Bolsover DC Chesterfield BC Derbyshire Dales DC Doncaster Council North East Derbyshire DC Rotherham MBC Sheffield City Council 16. The other key stakeholders and signatories to the SCR Statement are: SCR Mayoral Combined Authority Nottinghamshire County Council Derbyshire County Council Peak District National Park Authority 17. It was agreed that the SCR SoCG would focus primarily on four strategic matters: Housing; Employment; Transport; Digital connectivity. 18. In additional, current working arrangements on several other strategic matters have been summarised to illustrate the range of shared interests being progressed. These strategic matters are developing and will be reviewed in future updates of the SCR SoCG. These strategic matters are: Green Belt; Energy and climate change; Flood risk; Minerals planning; Waste planning; Natural environment; Peak District National Park; Health. 6 19. The Statement was endorsed, in July 2019 by the SCR Infrastructure Board and it is currently being signed by participating authorities – Doncaster Council signed it on 28th January 2020. It will be formally approved by the MCA later in 2020. Although the Council is fully involved in the preparation of the Statement, the delivery and timescales are out of the Council’s control. A copy of the SCR SoCG is included as Appendix 3. The relationship of the Doncaster SoCG and the SCR SoCG 20. Paragraph 1.6 of