STAINFORTH NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN

Stainforth Town Council is currently working in partnership with Pegasus Group to develop a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) for the town council area of Stainforth up to 2035.  It is being prepared building on the responses to the public consultation on the Issues and Options document from March to April 2019. In addition a Neighbourhood Development Order has been prepared for the former colliery site.

NDPs are planning policy documents, and once made (adopted) by the local planning authority (here, Doncaster Borough Council) they are used to help determine planning applications in the area.  They are therefore powerful tools for communities who wish to have a stronger influence in planning decisions.

The Draft Plan sets out a draft vision and objectives and the emerging draft planning policies and site allocations for Stainforth.  The planning policies and proposals are grouped under the following planning themes:

• Protecting and Enhancing Local Mining Heritage

• Improving Housing Choice

• Improving Accessibility for All

• Supporting Health and Wellbeing and

• Local Development Opportunities.

The preparation of NDPs is complex and lengthy because the documents are "statutory" ie they carry legal weight in decision making.  Therefore the NDP will go through a further stage of consultation undertaken by Doncaster Council, then an examination and finally a local referendum before it is completed.  Overall, the NDP has to meet a set of "basic conditions" and these will be tested through the examination process.  The basic conditions include that the NDP has to be "in general conformity" with the strategic planning policies in Doncaster's Local Plan and to have regard to the Government's national planning policies.

Following this consultation and careful consideration of all submitted comments, the Draft Plan will be revised and submitted to Doncaster Council.