More than 8,000 residents completed a council consultation during summer 2024 and the results, along with feedback from local businesses, has shaped the vision.
The council says key issues included safety, cleanliness, empty shops and the overall look and feel of the place.
Residents want “a more welcoming feel” when bringing families to the city centre.
A public space protection order, which gives the council and police extra powers to tackle persistent anti-social behaviour, was recently renewed.
Council officers have enforced against 1,333 breaches of the order since November 2023.
Fell says while he is a “big fan” of the masterplan and its ambition, he is also realistic.
“If we go back to whenever the last plan was launched, I’m fairly sure that would have also been characterised by beautiful images, aspiration and ambition.
“We have delivered some great stuff in Doncaster with the civic and cultural quarter, the revamp of the Corn Exchange and the Wool Market, but if we have an honest self-appraisal, those interventions have added up to less than the sum of their parts.
“If we’re honest, if you walk around the city centre, it doesn’t feel yet like that vibrant, bustling place.
“We have to be realistic about where we’re starting from if we’re going to have a credible plan for the future.”
