Chapter 6: Monitoring

Background

6.1 Regular monitoring will be essential to establish how both the Plan and the Community Strategy are working in practice and to assess whether the policies set out in them are being sufficiently implemented on the ground and having their desired effect. Monitoring will take place on an ongoing basis and the results of this monitoring may result in changes being made to the Plan. The Plan is not intended to be a rigid document, but a framework for managing change.

6.2 Monitoring information should be used to determine:

• Whether the policies are still appropriate to the Plan’s aims and objectives.

• Whether the policies are actually being implemented.

• Whether the assumptions behind the policies remain valid.

• What rate of development is occurring.

• Whether the policies are achieving their objectives.

6.3 Monitoring may indicate that a particular part of the Plan requires some more detailed guidance to be prepared and this will be addressed through the development of SPD or an Area Action Plan.

6.4 The review of other Council strategies and studies will also help to evaluate how the Plan is performing and whether any review is necessary. It is intended that the core policies of the Plan will be reviewed on a regular basis, and monitoring will be a vital part of this process.

6.5 Where possible, the Community Strategy and the Local Plan/Local Development Framework will be monitored together and any identified changes in circumstances will be reflected in the policies and proposals of both documents.

6.6 The following table identifies potential key targets and indicators for a future monitoring system. The regular monitoring of these may suggest new indicators which should also be considered.

6.7 An annual monitoring report will be published which sets out the results of the monitoring exercise, and draws out the policy implications of these results. The first of these was submitted to the Government Office for the South East (GOSE) in December 2005. Copies may be obtained from the Council or viewed on the Council’s website www.basingstoke.gov.uk/planning.

TARGET	INDICATOR
Location of Development
Maximise the use of previously developed land for residential development and secure regeneration opportunities Secure regeneration	40% of new homes to be accommodated on previously developed land* % of land stock that is derelict*
Maximise the use of previously developed land for commercial floorspace Provide sufficient housing to meet the Borough’s housing requirement	40% of commercial floorspace to be accommodated on previously developed land % of annual housing requirement as actual completions
Environment
Protect and enhance sites of national (e.g. SSSIs) or local significance (e.g. SINCs)	Number of national and locally designated sites that are adversely affected by development
Prevent flooding in residential areas	Number of applications in floodplains and % of approvals
Economy
Maintain high and stable levels of employment	Percentage of people of working age in employment* Percentage of people claiming unemployment benefit that have been out of work for more than a year* Levels of jobs created in key sectors Loss of employment land to other uses
Maintain an adequate supply of land for employment and for meeting trends in employment.	Percentage increase or decrease in the number of local jobs* Net VAT registrations (new business start ups net of closures)* Industrial and office commitments, completions and take up Vacancy levels
Promote appropriate rural diversification	Applications for rural diversification schemes and % of approvals
Protect the vitality and viability of the Borough’s retail centres	Retail applications and approvals by location (town centre, edge of centre and out of centre) Retail health checks Loss of retail to other uses A3 applications and permissions
Social/Community
Provide the type of housing which meets local needs in terms of dwelling size	% of two bedroom (or smaller) dwellings built as a proportion of all new dwellings
Provide the type of housing which meets local need for affordable and key worker housing	% of new homes built during the year which are affordable or are suitable for key workers House Prices/earnings ratio Homelessness*
Protect essential services and facilities	The loss of essential facilities to other uses
Improve facilities to meet local needs	Applications and approvals for new facilities
Accessibility and Infrastructure
Encourage alternatives to the car	Provision of new/improved pedestrian and cycle routes % of children travelling to primary school and secondary school by different modes* Percentage of residents surveyed which used different modes of transport, their reason for and distance of travel*
Increase rates of household waste being recycled	Increase the reuse and recycling of waste materials to 20% in 2003 and 30% in 2005.

*Indicators listed in the Community Strategy for Basingstoke and Deane

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